School Notes: School of Art
September/October 2009

Students curate fall exhibition

A team of four students in painting and printmaking has curated the second major exhibition at the school's 32 Edgewood Gallery, Infinitesimal Eternity, which is currently on view. The students -- Nathan Azhderian, Amy Beecher, Erik Gonzalez, and Natalie Westbrook, all ’10MFA, overseen by faculty member George Rush -- were involved in every detail of preparing the show, from selecting the artists to arranging for the shipping of the artworks to mounting the works in the gallery. Dean Robert Storr is initiating curatorial projects as an integral component of the MFA students' studies at the school.

Infinitesimal Eternity presents painting, sculpture, photography, and video by 13 contemporary artists whose attitude towards the spectacle can be described as ambivalent. "The spectacle" refers to ideas developed by Guy Debord in his 1967 book The Society of the Spectacle, a critique of what the author considered capitalism's increasing dominion over all goods and services. The works in Infinitesimal Eternity reference a significant coherence between vision and touch, reminding the viewer of the various spectacular interfaces we encounter in everyday life, from computer touch screens to ATMs. Five of the show's artists have been visiting critics at the school in recent years; two are alumni (Gina Ruggeri ’96MFA and Beverly Fishman ’80MFA). Infinitesimal Eternity is on view through October 24.

Dean honored by New York art museum

Dean Robert Storr will deliver the inaugural Himmel Lecture in October in Chappaqua, New York, as the first recipient of the Himmel Award that celebrates leaders in the world of the arts for their significant achievements and innovations. The Himmel Lecture and Award were established by the Katonah Museum of Art in Katonah, New York. The museum's executive director, Neil Watson, said that Storr, as a "trained artist, scholar, and consummate arts professional," brings a "unique perspective" to contemporary art and some of its "hot topics," including censorship, public art, and art criticism.