Faculty Exhibition Inspires With a Variety of Mediums

On February 23 through April 1, the Shirley Fiterman Art Center (SFAC) at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) will present In Person, an exhibition of recent faculty art which can be viewed by appointment with COVID protocols in place, by emailing shirleyfitermanartcenter@bmcc.cuny.edu.

This exhibition centered on faculty artists showcases a variety of approaches to contemporary art-making; from modes of traditional painting and sculptural form, to installation work, experimental photography and works employing new media.

“Exhibitions of faculty work in a college setting offer students the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of their professors’ works, materials and processes,” says SFAC Director Lisa Panzera. “Conversations sparked by a professor’s work on view carry back into the classroom, and deepen students’ exploration of techniques as well as what it means to be a working artist.”

The featured faculty artists are Aisha Tandiwe Bell, Simon Carr, Elisa Decker, Louis Esposito, Pat Genova, Xico Greenwald, Sarah Haviland, Jayne Holsinger, Siobhan McBride, Lisa Nicchi, Carol Pereira-Olson, Thaddeus Radell, Jessica Ramirez, AC Towery and Terttu Uibopuu.

Each artist brings to the exhibit a different perspective, often shared with their students. “I often concentrate on the intangible passage of time, manifested through repeated photographs of the same image or view, often during different seasons. My print ‘4 Circles’ combines four of those images,” said Elisa Decker, an adjunct associate professor of Studio Drawing I, which is also a Writing Intensive.

Regarding the faculty-artist/student-artist dynamic and the impact of the exhibition on student process, Professor Carol Pereira-Olson says, “Students have the opportunity to view many working processes after developing their own methods toward creating works of art.”

The annual faculty exhibition at the Shirley Fiterman Art Center highlights the College’s commitment to its growing Music and Art Department, which offers an Art Foundations program that provides both an Associate of Art (A.A.) in Art History and an Associate of Science (A.S.) in Studio Art program. Graduates are prepared for successful transfer to four-year colleges and a career in the arts.

 

The Shirley Fiterman Art Center (SFAC) at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) of The City University of New York (CUNY) is dedicated to organizing exhibitions of contemporary art and cultural programming through which it seeks to promote and enrich the educational mission of BMCC and serve as a resource for the BMCC and Lower Manhattan communities. These exhibitions are intended to provide diverse gallery programs that allow a place to engage with contemporary art and investigate a deeper understanding of its role in society at a venue that is free of charge and open to the public.