Some say, “if you can’t do, teach.” But professors in the College of Visual and Performing Arts are showing that you can do both.

The “Conceal/Reveal: New Work from the Faculty of the College of Visual and Performing Arts” exhibit will open to the public Thursday at the SUArt Galleries. The show will feature 20 artists, both faculty and staff, who represent the diverse and changing art scene in Syracuse through their creations, said Andrew Saluti, the assistant director of the SUArt Galleries and one of the show’s organizers. The exhibit is set to run until Jan. 18, 2015.

“The faculty has been wanting to do a show like this for quite some time. It’s been eight years since the last faculty showcase of any kind,” Saluti said.

An opening ceremony for the exhibit will also be held on Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. Zeke Leonard, a VPA instructor, will perform with his collection of colorful handmade guitars. Saluti said he is excited for the opening reception, particularly Leonard’s performance.

“Leonard’s guitars are functional art. They are something that will always live on,” Saluti said.

Saluti and the other employees at the SUArt Galleries, in collaboration with SU’s New York City staff, are also holding a concurrent show at the Lubin House, Syracuse University’s home base for its New York City operations.

Although Saluti said it is a hectic job to run two simultaneous shows in two different cities, helping to maintain both locations is important to him, especially with the development of “Conceal/Reveal.” Saluti said that he takes trips to New York City every four to six weeks, but calls having two shows filled with art of staff and faculty a great opportunity.

“This exhibit will allow (the staff) to showcase the exciting work being done here at SU. Our opportunity is to show art where people usually wouldn’t expect it,” Saluti said.

Kevin Larmon, the program coordinator of SU’s painting department, will showcase his paintings in the exhibit. He said that people who visit the show will have a sense of the many different mediums of art that the VPA faculty specializes in.

“I think every artist has a different agenda as far as what they’re putting out there, so it depends on who people will focus on,” Larmon said. “But I think they’ll get an idea of the wide range of contemporary art that the faculty is doing.”

Larmon added that this exhibit is going to become a more frequent event in the future at SUArt Galleries, giving more opportunities to faculty. Currently, the VPA faculty is planning on holding a similar show about every three years at the SUArt Galleries, which the faculty is both excited and happy about, Larmon said.

Saluti said he sees the “Conceal/Reveal” exhibit as a testament to what Syracuse has contributed to the art world and what it can instill on future artists in the many years that remain.

“I get excited every time I give a prospective art student and their parents a tour … This exhibit will cater to young artists looking at SU. It will show them who you can learn from and who you can become after SU,” Saluti said. “Every discipline is represented. Photography, sculpture, painting, interior design and you name it. It’s there.”

 

—Asst. feature editor Brendan Krisel contributed reporting to this article

Published on November 6, 2014 at 12:01 am

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