Ivar Elis Evers: New Paltz Watercolors, 1930–1950

Curated by Wayne Lempka

October 10 – November 15, 1998
North Gallery

Ivar Elis Evers was an architect, painter, and utopian farmer who brought his family to New Paltz from New York City in 1914 in search of a simpler life. Born in Sweden, Evers received his architecture training in Stockholm and his artistic training in New York City at the Art Student’s League where he had the opportunity to study with the celebrated American Impressionist J.H. Twachtman. This exhibition featured  a suite of Evers’ watercolor paintings, depicting the landscape and architecture of New Paltz and surrounding communities.

Hosted in collaboration with the Hudson Valley Study Center for the 7th Annual Hudson Valley/Catskill Mountain Regional exhibitions.

Sacred Ancient Asia: Photographs by Kenro Izu

Curated by Neil C. Trager

October 10 – November 15, 1998
Chandler Gallery

Kenro Izu was born in Osaka, Japan in 1949. After moving to the United States in 1972 he spent two years working as a photo assistant in New York City and subsequently established his own studio, specializing in still life photography. Since 1979, in addition to his well-established commercial work, Kenro began his serious professional commitment to his fine art photography, travelling the world to capture the sacred ancient stone monuments in their natural settings. He traveled and documented Egypt, Syria, Jordan, England, Scotland, Mexico, France and Easter Island (Chile). Most recently he focused on Buddhism and Hindu monuments in South East Asia: Cambodia, Burma, Indonesia, Vietnam and India. Through them, he captures profound beauty with natural states of decay.

From Function to Form: The Intersection of Art and Craft

Curated by Betty Wilde-Biasiny

July 7–31, September 1–20, 1998
Chandler Gallery

Will silicon chips be the only archeological residue of our society, or will our artistic output continue to include real objects that may be touched, owned, and collected by future generations? The exhibition examines how contemporary visual artists transcend the functional identity of objects and materials to create expressive art forms.

Participating artists included: Charles F. Barbour, Tom Blackwell Bonnie A. Bradley, Donise English, Stephen Fabrico, Carol Field, Nanette Gilligan, Chris Hawkins, Sue Horowitz, Jane Laudi, Lisa Mackie, Laura Moriarty, Stanley Moskowitz, Kaete Brittin Shaw, Darin Seim, Frank Shuback, Jessica Williams, and Dale Robin Wolfield.

A Hudson Valley/Catskill Mountain Regional Exhibition.

The Body and The Lens: Photography 1839 to the Present

Curated by John Pultz

October 28 – November 20, 1997
College Art Gallery

As the most widespread means of visual communication of the past century and a half, photography has done much to shape our notions of the human body. Utilizing a comprehensive selection of important historical and contemporary images, this exhibition investigated how photographic representations of the body determine how we think about ourselves and others.

Works from the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas include work by Diane Arbus, E.J. Bellocq, Brassai, Harry Callahan, Robert Doisneau, Harold Edgerton, Walker Evan, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Sid Grossman, Guerilla Girls, Lewis Hine, Andre Kertesz, Helmut Newton, Carrie Mae Weems, Weegee, and many more. Shown in conjunction with the "Arts in America Now" conference.

Woodstock Artists: Photographs by Harriet Tannin

Curated by Neil C. Trager

September 23 – October 19, 1997
Howard Greenberg Family Gallery

A portfolio, begun in 1981, of approximately 100 portraits of artists who have lived and worked in Woodstock. A Hudson Valley Artists/Catskill Mountain Regional Exhibition.

Chinese New Year Folk Prints

Curated by Professor Elizabeth Brotherton

July 6–26, 1997
Sojourner Truth Library

Drawn from the College Art Gallery's permanent collection, the works displayed are examples of late 19th and early 20th century prints, largely nianhua (New Year's Prints) the would once have hung in people's homes. They include door guardians as well as a wide range of auspicious symbols meant to bring happiness, children, wealth and success to families in the coming years. Also included in this exhibition are prints of colorful scenes from popular novels and Chinese opera.

Hot Spots: America's Volcanic Landscape

Curated by Neil Trager

October 23 – November 17, 1996
College Art Gallery

Hot Spots tells the story of the earth creating itself. The photographs depict active and dormant volcanoes, streaming geysers, and "hot spots" across America. From the drama of red-hot lava exploding into the ocean in Hawai'i, to the ethereal wonderland of steam and mist in the geyser basins of Yellowstone, to the surreal lunar landscape of Mount Saint Helens, this exhibition shows the many different ways to look at a volcano: geologically, photographically, and metaphorically. Pictured are some of the most exciting places in America to visit and observe the elemental forces still at work on our planet.

Approaching a New Museum: Recent Acquisitions 1994–1996

Curated by Neil C. Trager

September 24 – October 15, 1996
Alice and Horace Chandler & North Galleries

Approaching a New Museum: Recent Acquisitions 1994–1996 celebrates the expansioin of the collections and brings closer the crystallization of the project transforming the College Art Gallery into the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art. Lusterware from Syria, Mesoamerican figures, and Senegalese masks, are shown alongside works on paper, metals, and photography from Hudson Valley artists—some of whom teach at SUNY New Paltz.