Opening July 1, 2005, the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz will present Recycled Revisited: Artistic Responses to the Earth Charter. Curated by John Dahlsen and Dr. Alice Wexler, the show includes a selection of work by artists from the Arts Society of Kingston.
The exhibition is based on the Earth Charter, a declaration of the fundamental principles for building a just society with a special emphasis of the world’s environmental challenges. The document’s vision recognizes that environmental protection, human rights, equitable human development, and peace are interdependent and indivisible.
The twelve artists in this exhibition weave together environmental, social, and political concerns, all of which must be attended to for a sustainable future. Employing a variety of media that range from plastic bags, shoes, rocks, and bones, to more traditional materials, they challenge the concept of the artist as removed from society in favor of the artist as responsive and responsible to society. Through issue-oriented, challenging works, the artists inspire an appreciation for the fragility of the social and natural environments and a sense of global interdependence.
Artists in the show include: Takashi Abe, Barbara Bachner, Rimer Cardillo, Dennis Connors, John Dahlsen, Anthony Krauss, Iain Machell, Meadow, Franc Palaia, Shelley Parriott, Elisa Pritzker, and Cynthia Winika.
The exhibition continues through September 18 with a reception on July 1 from 6-8 p.m.
About the Curators: Based in Australia, John Dahlsen searches the beaches for washed up…ocean litter…a worldwide phenomena affecting beaches on a global level. He works with these objects until they tell their story, which includes those underling environmental messages inherent in the use of this kind of medium. Dahlsen describes the transformation as alchemical, a process of nature’s elements redefining the man-made…the assembled objects bring to life my commitment as an artist….
Dr. Alice Wexler is an assistant professor of Art Education at SUNY New Paltz. Her research focuses on the art making practices of exceptional children and adults, and on the integration of text and image in art works made by children and adolescents.
About the Museum: The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art is dedicated to collecting, researching, interpreting, and exhibiting works of art from diverse cultures. The permanent collection spans a period of almost 4,000 years. Areas of specialization include 20th century paintings and works on paper, Asian and Pre-Columbian art and artifacts, metals and photographs. SDMA has a special commitment to collecting and exhibiting important works of art created by artists who have lived and worked in the Hudson Valley and Catskill regions. The Museum is a major cultural resource in the Hudson Valley serving a broad-based constituency from both on and beyond the New Paltz campus.
Museum Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, university intersession, and national holidays. SDMA accommodates the disabled. Admission is free
For further information call the museum at 845-257-3844 or visit the web at www.newpaltz.edu/museum
