Closing reception: February 25th, 6 – 9 PM
St. Francis College presents “We Are the World”, a group exhibition featuring works by 23 international artists. On view through February 25, 2022, at the Callahan Center, the exhibition spans disparate geographies, generations, genders and regions bringing together paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs and installations in celebration of St. Francis College’s internationalism and cultural diversity.
A photography project featuring portraits of students taken by their peers, accompanies the exhibition.
“The theme for this show, ‘We Are The World,’ came to me when I was informed that Miguel Martinez-Saens, President of St. Francis College, expressed a wish that this exhibition touch on the internationality of the college,” explains Lise Curry. “This request was such a source of inspiration that I immediately visualized integrating the students into an active artistic contribution to the show.”
“I was delighted to contribute to this theme by inviting a group of artists who came to New York from different parts of the world,” adds Francine Rogers. “They each have their own voice yet each work, no matter its style and medium, captures the essence of that, what is universal and how we relate to one another.”
The works in the exhibition are united in their concern with universal themes: separation and unity, dialogue and conflict, personal and political identity, connection, love and heartbreak.
Among the exhibition highlights are “Tea in the Garden with Sweets”, a welded iron table by Bruna D’Alessandro (Italy), which welcomes students and members of the St. Francis community to have a seat and to talk and share a moment of rest or conversation.
Haksul Lee’s (Korea) stainless steel sculpture “Breathe in Time with One Another” explores a sense of being by examining time as both an absolute value and a relative value, underscoring the difference of our relative perceptions of it.
Natsuki Takauji’s (Japan) “Symbols” takes inspiration from symbols across cultures and fundamental subjects to create a uniform symbol, where people can find their own meanings to identify. An LED light panel artwork creates a reinterpretation of our world by visually connecting the immense data which we are generating and consuming on a daily basis in order to have a better understanding of the world.
“Mother’s Abacus” by Ingrid Butterer (Estonia) uses clay beads to create a powerful piece that reflects on the challenges of motherhood, making visible a struggle that is often invisible yet known to many and echoing, visually and metaphorically, women’s power and their capacity to endure and persist.
Yeon Ji Yoo’s (Korea) Installation of doll-sized houses crafted from paper deals with environmental distress and ideas of immigration and home, trying to make sense of personal fears and finding resonance with the world outside, creating a hope for connection.
Jephri Sivad’s (Nevins) mix media painting, “The Pendulum”, shows inspiration flowing in great streams to a direction pointing the way to move forward.
The exhibition also includes a special virtual presentation of “The Globe” by Ray Bartkus (Lithuania). Consisting of 3 concentric spheres, made of metal, wood and light, the monumental sculpture is able to contain seemingly paradoxical and separate elements – such as serious problems facing the human race and the beauty of life itself – remaining the integral whole.
Participating artists: Ray Bartkus, Ingrid Butterer, Rosa Chang, Beatrice Coron, Bruna D’Alessandro, Ryoko Endo, Tadasuke Jinno, Serge Jolimeau, Jenny Keith, Timothy LaSalle, Haksul Lee, Shantel Rose Miller, Stephanie Mulvihill, Peter Pacheco, Joyce Pommer, Giorgia Rojas Monaco, Jephri Sivad, Daniel Sperber, Natsuki Takauji, Mark Tanabe, Kati Vilim, Yeon Ji Yoo, Jason Yung.
Free and open to the public. Hours: WED Feb 9th, 9am -2pm; MON Feb 14th, 9am-2pm; WED Feb 16th, 9am -2pm; THURS Feb 17th, 9am-5pm; FRI Feb 18th, 9am-2pm; WED Feb23rd, 9am-2pm; THURS Feb 24th, 9am -5pm. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative test required to enter.
