Purchase College Presents: PurchasePrintWeek2013

From its earliest form, printmaking has been a way to document, communicate, and convey written and visual information. To celebrate that printmaking is very much alive in what has become a very digital world, Purchase College announces PurchasePrintWeek 2013.

A week-long series of printmaking events will be held from September 30th to October 4th at the Purchase College campus. Most of the events will take part in the Visual Arts Building. Activities include demonstrations, lectures, hands-on workshops, and receptions.

Click here for the schedule of events for PurchasePrintWeek 2013.”The PurchasePrintWeek activities offer a fantastic opportunity for the community of Purchase College and the community at large to experience the visual art medium of prints,” said Stella Ebner, an assistant professor in the School of Art+Design, who is spearheading the initiative.

PrintWeek 2013 will kick off with a presence at the prestigious NY Art Book Fair, September 19 to 22 at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, NY. There, art books created by Purchase College students, faculty and alumni will be displayed and offered for sale, and Professor Warren Lehrer will present a keynote address, discussing his book works, from his classics of typographic and design experimentation French Fries, I Mean You Know, to Crossing the BLVD, and his latest project – A LIFE IN BOOKS:The Rise and Fall of Bleu Mobley. 

First National Youth Orchestra Prepares for Global Tour During Rigorous Training Residency at Purchase College

The first National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) is preparing for its upcoming tour by undergoing a rigorous two-week training residency at the Purchase College campus.

The NYO-USA, created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, is a major new, tuition-free initiative that has brought together 120 of the most talented orchestral players ages 16-19 from across the country. Representing 42 states and more than 100 cities and towns, the young musicians have all been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest nationwide, following a comprehensive audition process.

During their two-week residency, running June 30 through July 11, orchestra members will use the Purchase College Performing Arts Center (PAC) and the Conservatory of Music’s rehearsal studios while undergoing training, rehearsals, and mentoring led by section leaders from top American orchestras.

Purchase College is a key partner in Carnegie’s new initiative and the NYO-USA marks the beginning of an ongoing partnership in which the two organizations will share resources and explore collaborations in support of their missions and advancement of shared educational goals.

“This partnership between Purchase College and Carnegie Hall began about two years ago when we received a call from Carnegie Hall seeing if we had an interest in this project,” said Harry McFadden, director of the PAC. “Our president, Thomas J. Schwarz (a member of the Advisory Council of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute) moved this forward and a great partnership was born.” McFadden said other sites were considered, “but Carnegie Hall really liked our facilities and found the college extremely conducive to this program and its participants.”

Capping the students’ stay at Purchase College, world-renowned conductor Valery Gergiev will lead the NYO-USA in its first public performance at the PAC this Thursday, July 11. The performance will feature acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell and is open to the public. Tickets currently available here.

The orchestra then heads off on tour, starting at Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, July 13, continuing overseas for two concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg; and ending with a concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Sunday, July 21, which WQXR will broadcast on July 27 at 5:00 p.m. at wqxr.org.

PHOTO: Jeffrey Turner, Principal Bass with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, leads a bass sectional. In the background is Purchase College PAC’s famed 30-foot-tall Flentrop tracker organ, one of the largest Flentrop instruments in the eastern US. The NYO-USA bass section (from left to right) Sebastian Zinca, Colton Kelley, Andrew Downs, Santiago Olaguibel, Jacob Warren, William Langlie-Miletich, Ahmer’e Blackman, Andrew Sommer, and Matthew Burg. Photo: Chris Lee

 

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo Appears at Purchase College

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo made an appearance at Purchase College today to laud the success of the just-completed 2013 New York State legislative session and to perform a ceremonial signing of the law that passed last week establishing tax-free zones on and around SUNY campuses to encourage new business in New York State.

In front of approximately 300 guests—including local and state lawmakers and officials—Purchase College President Thomas J. Schwarz welcomed the Governor to campus and thanked him for what he and the state legislature are doing to help SUNY campuses.

During his speech, Governor Cuomo detailed the accomplishments of the 2013 legislative session including the approval of START-UP New York, which the Governor called a “game changer” that will transform SUNY campuses and university communities across the state into tax-free communities.

Stressing his overarching goals of social progress and fiscal responsibility, the Governor noted the session accomplished a third straight balanced, on-time budget; provided tax relief for middle-class families; provided tax cuts for businesses; and passed both the New York Safe Act and the upstate New York Gaming Economic Development Act, the latter to establish four destination gaming resorts in upstate New York to boost tourism.

Click here for more information about Purchase College

Work by Purchase College Rising Senior Lauren Britton Selected for Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition

Lauren Britton, Sinking Ship, 2012, acrylic and oil on canvas, 3×4 ft., courtesy of the artist

The works of art selected for showcase in this year’s Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition were announced last week and a painting by Purchase College rising senior Lauren Britton, a double major in Painting & Drawing and Art History, was among them.

Britton received an Honorable Mention award for her painting Sinking Ship from 2012. The boat in the three-by-four foot painting is an allegory for self, an ongoing theme in her work at the time. “Sometimes the boat was floating along, sometimes it was sinking and sometimes it had capsized all together. The struggle in these paintings was often to keep the boat afloat…” she explains via email.

As Sinking Ship progressed, she turned a capsized boat into one merely sinking by making a radical move. “I physically flipped the canvas to reflect that change in thought,” she says. Although the boat is taking on water, she painted a ladder as an escape route for both herself and the viewer. “I trust my hand and my intuition to make decisions while making my work, and I often try to listen to my unconscious mind,” reads her artist statement.

“The Best of SUNY art exhibition showcases works created by our top student artists from colleges and universities across New York over the past year,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “This annual exhibit at the Museum has become a must-see attraction in our state’s capital city. Congratulations to each of this year’s winners and to all of the students with art on display in this exhibit.” The exhibition is on view through September 15 at the New York State Museum in Albany.

Currently studying at the Siena Arts Institute in Siena, Italy, Britton is the using four-week intensive program to build her portfolio and push herself as an artist. “Working in new ways is something I am always being pushed to do while I have been in Siena. The diverse international community that has formed around this program continually offers a new way of looking at work that has been both exciting and refreshing,” she explains.

The Fairport, NY native also thrives in the close-knit community here at Purchase College, which drove not only her prolific year in the studio, but her level of work. “In this super-close community at Purchase College, it becomes all about trying to find the best way to make your work. This kind of community spirit is what makes Purchase amazing to me,” she adds.

Britton is a research assistant at two galleries in Manhattan, and looks forward to taking a year off to do residencies after graduation before heading to graduate school.

Click here  for more information about Purchase College

Neuberger Museum of Art at Purchase College Exhibition “Pre-Columbian Remix” Featured on PBS Channel Thirteen’s NYC-ARTS

The current exhibition at  Neuberger Museum of Art at Purchase College:  Pre-Columbian Remix: The Art of Enrique Chagoya, Demián Flores, Rubén Ortiz-Torres, and Nadín Ospina, on view through July 14, was featured on the Thursday, June 20 episode of NYC-ARTS on PBS.

Visit neuberger.org for more information about the exhibition.

NYC-ARTS is the multi-platform guide to arts and culture in New York and airs Thursday nights at 8 pm on THIRTEEN. The weekly NYC-ARTS program is co-hosted by Philippe de Montebello and Paula Zahn–both 2011 Emmy Award winners –with cultural news reporting by Christina Ha.

Click here to watch the News segment.

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SUNY Purchase Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture Series Presents the Inaugural Lecture

             JOSEPH VOLPE, General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera, 1990-2006 

SUNY Purchase is proud to present  Joseph Volpe who will speak about his 42-year tenure at the Metropolitan Opera. General Manager from 1990 to 2006, Volpe rose rapidly from apprentice carpenter to managerial positions and was the first head to advance from within the company ranks. Volpe will reflect on his experiences and discuss the challenges and opportunities in the arts management world today.

The evening will also include the presentation of the Jandon Business of the Arts Student Achievement Award to a student in the Arts Management B.A. program at Purchase College.

Monday, May 6, 2013
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Performing Arts Center, Recital Hall

Public reception to follow in the Upper Lobby
Free and open to the public 

Click here for more information about Arts Management program at SUNY Purchase

Purchase College Dance Company to Perform at New York Live Arts

The Purchase College Dance Company is pleased to present its first full New York City season, May 22–25, 2013, at New York Live Arts. The Company will perform works by five choreographers, including Bill T. Jones’s Spent Days Out Yonder (2000), George Balanchine’s Valse-Fantaisie (1967), and new works created specifically for the Company by Ori Flomin, Loni Landon, and Claire Porter.

“I am excited to give nearly one hundred of our tremendously talented students, especially our graduating seniors, an opportunity to perform works by diverse and exceptional artists at one of New York City’s most recognized performance venues, New York Live Arts,” says Wallie Wolfgruber, Conservatory of Dance director and artistic director, Purchase Dance Company.

The Village Voice included the performances on its list of Spring Arts Guide Picks. Read more at Dance Informa.

Members of the Purchase Dance Company are selected from the BFA program each year and represent some of the most promising performers of the next generation of dance artists. Over 90 students selected from the more than undergraduate 130 dance majors will perform with the company.

The Conservatory of Dance, School of the Arts, is one of the world’s premier professional training programs. Don’t miss the opportunity to see the next generation of dancers in action.

For tickets, visit artscenter.org and/or nylivearts.org.
Click here for more information about Purchase College Conservatory of Dance

Neuberger Museum at Purchase College Reopens After Hiatus

After a ten-month closure for extensive HVAC renovation work, the Neuberger Museum of Art at Purchase College reopens on Sunday, April 28th with the provocative exhibition Pre-Columbian Remix: The Art of Enrique Chagoya, Demián Flores, Rubén Ortiz-Torres, and Nadín Ospina, which remains on view through July 14, 2013.

The memory of pre-Columbian* cultures, of its icons and myths, is ever present throughout Latin America, and in many countries, this heritage has been used to reinforce national unity. However, work by the four leading Latin American artists featured in this exhibition challenge this trend.

By fusing ancient Aztec, Mayan, or Incan art forms with pop-culture imagery in an ironic and often humorous manner, the artists address present-day concerns relating to universal themes of consumption, corruption, and globalization. The result is an engaging, 21st-century composite portrait—the past, re-mixed and renewed.

Pre-Columbian Remix features more than 90 works of art, including stone sculptures, lithographs, large-scale paintings, platinum and cyanotype prints, and a monumental outdoor inflatable sculpture, on loan from different locations in the Americas (Bogotá, Mexico City, San Diego, New Jersey, New York).

* indigenous culture before European colonization

Reopening Party: Sunday, April 28, 12–4 pm
Free admission / Open to the public

Faculty and Staff Tour: Tuesday, April 30, 2:30 pm
Led by Curator of Art of the Americas Patrice Giasson and Julian Kreimer, assistant professor of art+design

Neu First Wednesdays: Pre-Columbian Sacrifice Remix (Devotional Altar):  Wednesday, May 1, 4:45–8:00 pm
Underground video, music, and performance artist group Sonido Apokalitzin visit the Neuberger Museum from Mexico City to perform with Purchase College student musicians and dancers for an all-out party.

Visit neuberger.org at Purchase College for more programs and information.

The Sketchbook Project, a mobile library filled with sketchbooks created by people—artists and non-artists alike—from all over the world, rolled onto our SUNY Purchase campus today inviting the Purchase community to participate in their global art experience.

Part exhibition, part library, and part creative opportunity, the black trailer holds thousands of sketchbooks from a collection of more than 26,000 that are housed in the Brooklyn Art Library, run by Art House, a Brooklyn-based company that organizes global, collaborative art projects. The Sketchbook Project is their flagship endeavor.

Anyone can participate, in “reading” the books, or in creating them. Simply enter a name, phone number, and email address into a laptop and a library card is issued. The books on board have all been descriptively tagged. By selecting from categories on a second laptop, cardholders then borrow books to enjoy at temporary tables in the outdoor “reading room” in the grass near Starbucks.

The Sketchbook Project also invites anyone to purchase a blank sketchbook and create a project of his or her own to submit for a future tour. All books then become part of the collection at the Brooklyn Art Library. Since its inception in 2006, the project has issued more than 46,000 library cards, traveled more than 50,000 miles, and the number of checkouts is nearing 100,000.

Jessica Sugerman ’09 is project manager for The Sketchbook Project. She’s excited to bring the project to campus. “People are so open to experiencing new things, that’s what’s great about Purchase,” she says.

Ultimately, the project is about connecting people. “Some books are by artists but most are from everyday people. From four year-olds in the Sudan to seniors down the road; you can have a book from Kentucky next to a book from Paris…it just connects people from all different backgrounds.”

A painting major who minored in art history, Sugerman helped connect people while at Purchase. As leader of the Art Club, she brought together creative types from all majors to exercise their drawing skills. She went on to receive the SUNY Chancellor’s Award.

What does Sugermen miss most at Purchase?  “The people; they’re so creative and open and interesting,” she explains. She describes the accepted students day when she chose to study at Purchase. “I just looked around and said to myself ‘I want to know these people.’”

For now she’s very enthusiastic about working for The Sketchbook Project. “It’s important for people to add their voice to something bigger than themselves.”

Click here for more information about SUNY Purchase

Purchase College School of Natural and Social Sciences 32nd Annual Student Research Symposium

 

Showcasing the Sciences at Purchase College

Begun in 1981, the Annual Student Research Symposium provides an opportunity for seniors to present their Senior Project research to a large audience of peers, alumni, family, faculty, and members of the community. Research presentations in the areas of biochemistry, biology, chemistry, environmental studies, mathematics/computer science, psychology, economics, anthropology, political science, and sociology will take place throughout the morning, followed by light refreshments. Seniors who participate in the symposium consider it a highlight of their undergraduate experience.

Open to the Public 
Free Admission

Saturday, April 27, 2013 
8:15 am–1:00 pm 
Purchase College Natural Sciences Building