Exhibitions

Current and upcoming exhibitions

Symphony in Black and White: The Prints of James McNeill Whistler
Syracuse University Art Galleries
04/05/2018-05/13/2018
Symphony in Black and White highlights a lesser-known aspect of James McNeill Whistler’s career: his works on paper. During his day, Whistler was internationally renowned for his etchings, which helped fuel a print revival during the last half of the nineteenth century. Through his prints, Whistler balanced his need to appeal to the market with his desire to innovate. This exhibition explores a selection of Whistler’s etchings and lithographs describing major European cities, their waterways and the working class people living there. Curated by Associate Professor of Art and Music Histories Sascha Scott and her students enrolled in the fall 2017 courses HOA 498: Senior Seminar: Research and Professional Practice and HOA 655: Proseminar in Graduate Research Methods and Scholarly Writing. For more information, visit Symphony in Black and White: The Prints of James McNeill Whistler or call 315.443.4097.

In Gratitude: The Museum Project
Syracuse University Art Galleries
08/17/2017-05/13/2018
Over a dozen pre-eminent American artists founded The Museum Project in 2012, seeking a way to express their gratitude for the institutional support and commitment to photography as an art form. This exhibition features a multitude of contemporary perspectives and a rich diversity of styles, concepts and photographic materials as it explores the recent donation of artwork to the Syracuse University Art Collection. For more information, visit In Gratitude: The Museum Project or call 315.443.4097.

CRISIS: A Visual Exploration of Conflict
Syracuse University Art Galleries
04/05/2018-05/13/2018
CRISIS: A Visual Exploration of Conflict investigates how visual artists have captured, reacted to and explained physical acts of conflict, issues of identity and the evolving conceptual methodologies in art. Physical conflict is explored through subtopics including technological advancements in warfare and the loss of humanity, represented by works as diverse as 17th century etchings to contemporary sculpture. Conflicts of identity grapple with the internal and psychological conflict of self and sexuality, the ongoing evolution on the notions of gender and the revealing effects of cultural appropriation. Additionally, the ever-evolving genres of art and the sometimes competing ideas found in these stylistic shifts are signified by the pioneering artists that symbolize these movements.

Drawing from diverse collections on campus, CRISIS includes work from the Light Work Collection, Syracuse University Art Galleries and the Special Collections Research Center. Curated by graduate students enrolled in Fine Arts Curatorship, taught by Andrew Saluti, assistant professor of museum studies, School of Design, this project is generously supported by the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the Syracuse University Humanities Center, and the Graduate Program in Museum Studies, School of Design, College of Visual and Performing Arts. For more information, visit CRISIS: A Visual Exploration of Conflict or call 315.443.4097.

Hiding in Plain Sight
Syracuse University Art Galleries
04/05/2018-05/13/2018
In an age where judgment is shaped by “alternative facts,” the artworks in Hiding in Plain Sight do not attempt to offer any absolute truths or solutions, because the truth is unimaginable. This annual exhibition of the 2018 Master of Fine Arts thesis candidates from the College of Visual and Performing Arts features work from master’s candidates in the School of Art and the Department of Transmedia. Spread out across several exhibition venues throughout Syracuse, the artworks represent the culmination of a three-year period of critical investigation and introspection, marked by a new, self-led shift toward interdisciplinary experimentation.

Occupying the liminal spaces between the real and the imagined, the natural and the fabricated, the artworks suggest a mode of inconspicuous opposition: one which straddles both a position of offense and defense to challenge governing social and political systems, while ensuring undetectability. Curated by Shehab Awad, the exhibition is divided among three University exhibition spaces and features 31 artists. In addition to Syracuse University Art Galleries, other venues include the Point of Contact Gallery at the Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., 03/26/2018-05/13/2018; and Community Folk Art Center, 805 E. Genesee St., 04/05/2018-05/13/2018. For more information, visit Hiding in Plain Sight or call 315.443.4097.

Americans in Venice: Late 19th and Early 20th Century Prints
Syracuse University Art Galleries
08/17/2017-05/13/2018
The exhibit presents six prints by Whistler from this period, placing them alongside the work of other Americans who were practicing in Italy in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The juxtaposition of these works allows the viewer to appreciate both Whistler’s innovations and the different ways in which his work affected that of the artists who followed him. While artists such as Mortimer Menpes, Frank Duveneck, Otto Bacher and Joseph Pennell owe much to Whistler’s innovative style and approach, they also had an impact on the artists who followed them to Venice during the 20th century. For more information, visit Americans in Venice: Late 19th and Early 20th Century Prints or call 315.443.4097.