By Katie Kearney
SUNY Plattsburgh presented its latest group exhibition to the public on January 28. The Shared Terrain exhibition was created to honor the achievements of recently retired emeriti faculty who dedicated their careers to guiding and inspiring students in the arts.
Diane Fine, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emerita, uses “Anthology” and “Devotional” to title her prints that were included in the exhibition. The name was thought of while she was in the process of printmaking. While wiping off the excess paint from the print, the word “holy” imprinted onto the rag. She compared the title “Devotional” to artmaking as people in both religion and art are both “looking for something”.
“I already knew I liked the work in the exhibit, but I just thought that the other artists’ work, and the work all together, really spoke to each other,” Fine said.
Diane Fine has been a printmaker her entire adult life and is involved in collections at the Museum of Art in New York, the New York Public Library and Yale University Art Gallery. Being a Professor at SUNY Plattsburgh allowed her to experience a sense of community with both faculty members and students.
Fine described printmaking as a “communal practice” that allows artists to work together and learn from one another.
“I feel like with my students over the years, I often learn from them,” said Fine. “Even after teaching for as many as three decades I would still have a student do something where I’m like ‘Oh my God, I never thought of doing it that way’,” Fine said.
Fine uses collaboration and printmaking as a way to raise money for Plattsburgh Care, a local organization that provides necessities to immigrants and others. Fine looks forward to renovating a 19th century church building as a studio for her and other artists to make art moving forward with her career.
Peter Russom, Professor of Art Emeritus, uses his recent trips to the United Kingdom and Eastern Maine as inspiration for his pieces.
“The visual drama of those environments are quite different but I found a common denominator to how I was responding to them,” Russom said. “I am very happy with all of the work from my colleagues, I like the way they relate to each other, there is obviously contrast but there are also some common qualities and that always makes a great show.”
He expressed his interest for others’ interaction with the work. He said that viewers do not always have to get the art, as it’s “not the point,” but their interaction and ideas are what gives him a sense of whether he is communicating accurately within his pieces.
Russom’s passion for art has not changed throughout his life.
“Teaching was a career but I have always had a life in painting… I was painting before teaching, I was painting while teaching and I am painting when I’m done teaching,” Russom said.
Russom’s passion for painting has not changed, although he has more time in retirement. Both artists separately mentioned the “tremendous” and “beautiful job the Museum Prep, Walter Early did in preparing the show. Each artist mentioned how they admired how he made each artist’s work complement each other.
Susan Lezon, Associate Professor Emerita, used photographs that were taken over the past 10 years in Egypt while working as an archaeological photographer. For most of her life, she shot photos in black and white. However, in this exhibition, the photos are shot in color which represent “newfound awe of, and appreciation for, the magnificence of color.”
The Shared Terrain exhibition was created to recognize the talented artist and their achievements.This exhibit collectively represents almost 90 years of professional service in the arts and to SUNY Plattsburgh. A reception honoring these emeriti faculty will be held on March 1 in the Burke Gallery. The exhibit runs until March 9.
