The exhibit in the main gallery of the Light Work Gallery in Syracuse is Beatrix Reinhardt's Members Only. The photographer obtained permission to take pictures of members-only social clubs while they were emptied of their members. There is a museum-like formality to the photos, made possible by the symmetry in which the rooms are framed. The social clubs range from ornate meeting spaces in Beijing, China, to the Pathfinder Gun and Hunting Club in Fulton, New York.
The exhibition runs through October 19.
The other exhibit is Off Shoots: Post-Standard Staff Photographers. These are photos taken while the artists were off-duty from their daily grind of shooting traffic accidents and the winning pig at the State Fair. There is a wide variety of subjects in this exhibition, ranging from portrait to travel to nature to found and created tableaux. The exhibition ran through September 14.
I've listed a few of my favorites below, along with thoughts inspired by each, which is the point of art, yes? To cause some sort of reflection in the viewer/listener beyond simple entertainment? I mean, I could have just dropped by the gallery, early for work and looking for something to do, sat down and ate a sandwich while I waited for the minute hand to click around on the clock face... what a waste of time... passive recipient of entertainment...
...or just engage in the experience.
Ellen Blalock's fabric and photo transfer projects: I liked these because I admire art works that include several media. Ms. Blalock photo-transferred an 1800s-era portrait of a young black man onto fabric, and used that fabric to make a quilt. She used some crazy fabrics on one of them! Sparkly, pink, spiky stuff... not sure what. I love quilts and wish I had the patience to make them. But it's one of those trade-offs for me — either I quilt, or I play the violin. My hands can't handle the exercise of both art forms. Alas! Next lifetime, perhaps.
Dennis Nett's "Faith": This is a portrait, a close-up of a black person's hands clasped behind. The person is dressed in white. The hands are scrawled with wrinkles, the proof of a lifetime of experiences lived and overcome. I am assuming from the title of the photo, a kind of patience and understanding that this, too, shall pass.
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1 - diana hartman
I am pleased to tell you this article is being featured in the Culture Focus today, October 10th.
Diana Hartman
Culture Editor