Summer/Fall 2008

Working towards our vision of becoming “the Education Museum,” the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University will present two engaging new exhibitions this summer, both drawn from our excellent collection of modern and contemporary art. “Interpreting Traditional Genres,” on view in the Knox Gallery through August 31, groups pairs or trios of paintings that depict one of three traditional subjects: landscapes, portraits, and still life. Each of these groupings invites visitors to explore the many different ways in which artists approach a single, shared subject.

“Currents: Movements in Western Art since 1830,” a spectacular representation of works from our permanent collection, will open in our central gallery on June 29. Conceived as a way of reintroducing the riches of the CAM collection to our audiences, this exhibition will also function as a kind of “installation piece” itself. Works will be hung salon style in an exuberant wave pattern on all three walls of our monumental central gallery.

“Currents” has also prompted a first time curatorial collaboration including Michael Beam, curator of collections and exhibitions, education coordinator, Marian Granfield and registrar Kathleen Fraas. Each of these talented museum professionals will bring their particular skills to the production and interpretation of this unprecedented exhibition. One of the exhibition’s central educational goals will be to explore the ebb and flow between naturalistic and more abstract styles of representation.

Also this summer, the museum’s Folk Arts Program will host two special events in conjunction with the exhibition, “Devotional Displays: Personal and Community Traditions.” Devotional music and dance in the Hindu and Vietnamese Buddhist tradition will be featured at a Sunday afternoon performance on June 8. A lecture-demonstration about traditional foods offered on Vietnamese Buddhist altars will be presented on Sunday, June 29. Both of these events give our audiences the opportunity to meet and learn directly from local community artists and experts—a hallmark of our Folk Arts Program.

Finally, there is still time to register for our annual “kids ‘n arts” summer camp. This year, a different teaching artist will work with children each week of camp—helping them to create their own interpretations of artworks from our inspiring permanent collection.

Kate Koperski
Director