Student curates Hank Virgona exhibit as part of annual thesis exhibitions at the Dorsky

NEW PALTZ – The State University of New York at New Paltz is pleased to announce an exhibition of satirical prints by artist Hank Virgona, on view from April 29 to June 5, 2011 in the Seminar Room of the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art.

The title of the exhibition, Nothing Changes: Satirical Prints by Hank Virgona, was inspired by Virgona’s own thoughts about the nature of satire and politics.

The exhibition examines fourteen prints all produced in the 1970s using etching and aquatint. The prints feature military leaders, politicians, and judicial figures, all of which were caricatured in humorous ways. The exhibition explores the themes of corruption, mediocrity, boredom, and anachronism in Virgona’s prints.

This exhibition is a culmination of a senior thesis research project for Adam Gordon, an Honors Program student at the SUNY New Paltz. The research for this project included a firsthand analysis of the prints and interviews with Virgona at his studio on Union Square in Manhattan. He recently gave a talk about this project at the 25th National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) at Ithaca College.

Gordon will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Visual Arts from SUNY New Paltz in May 2011 and plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Art Education. He also teaches at Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts on Long Island.

An opening reception for the exhibition will be held on Friday, April 29, from 5-7pm, concurrent with the opening reception for BFA Thesis Exhibition I.

The SUNY New Paltz annual BFA/MFA Thesis Exhibitions will on display at The Dorsky Museum’s Alice and Horace Chandler and North Galleries from April 29 – May 24, 2011. This series of exhibitions presents the work of graduating students in seven areas of concentration—ceramics, graphic design, metal, painting and drawing, photography, printmaking and sculpture. Opening receptions for the exhibitions take place on four consecutive Fridays: April 29, May 6, May 13 and May 20. For more information about the opening receptions and graduating art student thesis exhibitions visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/museum.

The Friends of the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art and the State University of New York at New Paltz provide ongoing support for museum exhibitions and programs. The Dorsky offers special thanks to Harry C. Tabak for his generous support of Nothing Changes: Satirical Prints by Hank Virgona.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, located at SUNY New Paltz, is fast gaining wide recognition as the premier public showplace for exhibition, education, and cultural scholarship about the Hudson Valley’s art and artists from yesterday and today. With more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space distributed over six galleries, the Dorsky Museum is one of the largest museums within the SUNY system. Since its dedication on October 20, 2001, The Dorsky has presented over one hundred exhibitions, including commissions, collection-based projects, and in-depth studies of artists including Robert Morris, Alice Neel, Judy Pfaff, and Carolee Schneemann.

For more information about The Dorsky Museum and its programs, visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/museum, or call (845) 257-3844.