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Two for One This Weekend at the Everson: Catch Outgoing "Seen and Heard" and Incoming "Monumental"

Scott Willis
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WAER News

This might be a good weekend to stop by the Everson Museum to catch parts of an outgoing exhibit and the installation of a new one.  “Seen and Heard” runs through Sunday, and curator of arts and programs DJ Hellerman says the exhibit marks the 100th anniversary of passage of women’s suffrage in New York.

"This is coming at women's suffrage from a very oblique angle.  There are no images of the suffrage movement in this exhibit.  But the suffrage movement is the backdrop.  It's looking at artists who have civically engaged, politically activist work, but it might not look like a sign at a protest in the street," Hellerman said.  "Some of the things don't look like obvious art objects; they're challenging form, and challenging the tried and true definitions of what we understand a beautiful painting or sculpture to be."

One of those objects greets you on the main floor when you walk in.

"It's a portable, inflatable, mylar, deployable disco dance unit...a disco deployment unit.  It's meant to think about clubs as a place for self exploration, clubs as an environment where social dynamics can happen freely, maybe without judgment."

Credit Scott Willis / WAER News
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WAER News
The "Disco Deployment Unit" is an interactive sculpture that plays dance music.

Crews were busy Friday preparing for the next exhibit opening tomorrow called “Monumental.”  Hellerman says it features some of the largest objects from their collection, including one called “Impulse Reactor” by Dennis Oppenheim. It was acquired in 1980 and takes up an entire gallery.

"If you had to think about how and idea is produced in your mind,  if you had to make that real, what would it look like.  You can see there are tracks, coal, a kerosene heater, magnets that are hanging, kinetic elements...motors are turning, interesting things that make this a fascinating architectural sculpture."

"Monumental” opens Saturday and runs through mid-December.  “Seen and Heard” wraps up Sunday.  More information is at Everson.org.

Credit Scott Willis / WAER News
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WAER News
"Impulse Reactor" by Dennis Oppenheim makes you think...and what those thoughts might look like going through your head.

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.