The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz welcomes members of the community to “Photography as Fine Art: A Panel Discussion on the Ongoing Legacy of Marcuse Pfeifer,” on Saturday, April 27, at 2 p.m. at The Dorsky.
The event complements the exhibition “In Celebration: A Recent Gift from the Photography Collection of Marcuse Pfeifer,” currently on view at The Dorsky, with an intimate conversation between gallerist Pfeifer, exhibition curator Wayne Lempka, renowned photographers Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and Lois Conner, and Bill Mindlin, former publisher of Photograph magazine.
The discussion will focus on Pfeifer’s vital contributions to the field of fine art photography.
About the panelists
Untitled [shirtless man in white pants], c. 1948
Gelatin silver print
9 15/16 x 8 in.
Gift of Marcuse Pfeifer
Used with permission of The George Platt Lynes Estate
Among the photographers Pfeifer supported was Lois Conner. Best known for her landscape prints, Conner’s work can be found in the permanent collections of major international museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her awards and recognitions include an Anonymous Was a Woman fellowship and grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts.
Portrait photographer and filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ first exhibition was at Marcuse Pfeifer’s gallery in 1980. Today his works are included in the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery. His exhibition “The Trans List” was shown at the Dorsky Museum during the 2018 season.
Bill Mindlin was the founder, publisher, and editor of Photograph magazine, a vital publication for the world of photo-based art. Prior to his nearly 30 years at the magazine’s helm, Mindlin worked at the Marcuse Pfeifer Gallery. “Even with my limited knowledge of the gallery scene, Cusie stood out as an original,” Mindlin said. “She was a pioneer as a contemporary photography dealer beginning in the 1970s, and was opinionated and fearless.”
Wayne Lempka is Interim Director and Art Collections Manager at The Dorsky Museum and is exhibition curator for “In Celebration: A Recent Gift from the Photography Collection of Marcuse Pfeifer.”
Funding for The Dorsky’s exhibitions and programs is provided by the Friends of the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art and SUNY New Paltz. Additional support has been provided by the Dorsky Museum Contemporary Art Program Fund and the Howard Greenberg Family Endowment.
About the Dorsky Museum
Through its collections, exhibitions and public programs, the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz supports and enriches the academic programs at the College, presents a broad range of world art for study and enjoyment and serves as a center for Hudson Valley arts and culture. The museum is widely recognized as the premier public showplace for exhibition, education and cultural scholarship about the Hudson Valley region’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 in the SUNY system. Since its official dedication on Oct. 20, 2001, The Dorsky has presented more than 100 exhibitions, including commissions, collection-based projects and in-depth studies of contemporary artists including Robert Morris, Alice Neel, Judy Pfaff, Carolee Schneemann and Ushio Shinohara.
Museum Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Holidays and Intersessions.
For more information about The Dorsky Museum and its programs, visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/museum or call (845) 257-3844.
