Art Professor installs multimedia exhibition at Washington, D.C. museum
Rimer Cardillo, professor of art at SUNY New Paltz, is opening A Journey to Ombú Bellaumbra at the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, D.C.
This exhibition finds Cardillo working in his primary mode of printmaking as well as in other media, such as photography and sculpture, drawing influence from the landscapes of the Hudson Valley and the Uruguay of his birth. The end result is a collection spanning Cardillo’s entire career, thematically united by his apprehension over the gradual demise of native peoples, fauna and flora in various locales.
“This exhibition draws upon the rich history of the Americas as well as a permanent concern with environmental issues,” Cardillo said. “The focus of the work is on cultural and social themes related to the preservation of indigenous cultures, the protection of endangered species and the conservation of vulnerable environments.”
Installation view
Handmade paper embossed and woven between threads conforming a conic shape
6 1/2 high x 9 3/4 feet diameter
The wide-ranging exhibition touches on many of the themes and styles Cardillo’s work has addressed over the course of a long career as an artist and art educator. This has given him occasion to look back at how those two roles have overlapped and supported one another over the years.
“In reviewing and selecting the work for this show I was able to reflect and recall creating works in the past,” Cardillo said. “In this, I remembered working with different students throughout the years on particular projects. Throughout my twenty-three years teaching at SUNY New Paltz, I have engaged many students as interns working on my projects. My goal in the classroom has always been to dialogue about my own works with students, in hopes that they may learn and adapt these processes into their own individually informed creations.”
A Journey to Ombú Bellaumbra will be on view at the AMA from March 24 – May 29. A full catalogue, including photography and essays written by Cardillo, can be viewed by following this link.
More information about the Art Department at SUNY New Paltz is available online.