Chancellor Kent Syverud | Syracuse University
Chancellor Kent Syverud | Syracuse University
Two spring exhibitions at the Syracuse University Art Museum will showcase works curated by faculty members. The exhibitions, "Faculty Fellows Curate" and "Joiri Minaya: Unseeing the Tropics at the Museum," are set to run from January 21 to May 10 in the Joe and Emily Lowe Galleries.
The first exhibition, "Faculty Fellows Curate," features work by 2024-25 Faculty Fellows Lyndsay Michalik Gratch and Elizabeth Wimer. Gratch, an associate professor of communication and rhetorical studies, presents "Performance, Gesture and Reflection." This display includes 23 objects that explore performance's social, cultural, and political dimensions. Gratch explains that gestures are dynamic symbols with diverse meanings based on context. She notes that performance is not just theatrical but part of everyday life.
Wimer's exhibition focuses on artistic works expressing ideas about the global economy from an African perspective. It complements a core class at Whitman School of Management by providing insights into infrastructure, human capital, and globalization. Wimer highlights how art can be both expression and economic opportunity for artists in limited economic situations.
The second exhibition is curated by Cristina E. Pardo Porto and features work by Dominican artist Joiri Minaya alongside selected pieces from the museum's collection. It examines visual culture through stereotypical depictions of tropical landscapes and exoticized women. Pardo Porto emphasizes how images shape perceptions of places like the Caribbean.
Pardo Porto's exhibit ties into her courses on contemporary Latinx art and theorizing race and diaspora. The undergraduate course uses Spanish-language artwork labels as teaching tools, while a graduate seminar explores diasporic identities' complexities. Minaya will visit campus to engage with students and discuss her work.
Emily Dittman, museum director, states that the Faculty Fellows program supports curriculum development and aims to integrate the museum’s collection into academic life at Syracuse University.
Alerts Sign-up