Office of Public Affairs

(315) 312-2265


CONTACT: Mindy Ostrow, 312-2113


Sept. 30, 2003


TYLER ART GALLERY TO FEATURE
LARGE CERAMIC VESSELS, ECLECTIC LOCAL WORK

    Two exhibits, "Richard Hirsch — Vessels: Substance and Sustenance" and the Art Department Faculty Exhibition, will open at SUNY Oswego's Tyler Art Gallery with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10. There is no admission charge, and the public is invited.

    A 5 p.m. talk in the gallery by ceramist Richard Hirsch will precede the opening reception. He will use his exhibited pieces to discuss the aesthetic character of his work, as well as the technical structure and texture of these massive forms. His lecture is sponsored by Artswego, funded in part by the SUNY Oswego student arts fee.

    Hirsch studied with the noted ceramist Franz Wildenhain at Rochester Institute of Technology where he received his master of fine arts degree in ceramics in 1971. In 1987, Hirsch returned to RIT's School of American Crafts to head the ceramics program.

    His ceramics may be seen in exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad and in a number of public collections, such as the American Craft Museum in New York City, Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Everson Museum in Syracuse, and Taipei Country Yinko Ceramics Museum in Taipei, Taiwan.

    In the gallery brochure essay, SUNY Oswego Professor Richard Zakin describes Hirsch's Altar Bowl Series — forms composed of a wide base, a bowl and knife — as an association with the origins of culture.

    "Hirsch combines vessel and sculptural elements to create pieces that are monumental in size and have the character of primeval altars," writes Zakin, who is also a ceramist. "He builds his pieces in segments, producing massive forms piece by piece, creating complex textures and bringing color to the work to produce rich imagery."

    Zakin also notes that "the wide base refers to altar-like forms. Their carved and modeled surfaces are a reference to rocks. . . . The bowl form refers to the idea of containment. The knife form refers to rites of passage and symbols of power."

    The eclectic Art Department Faculty Exhibition, a popular annual event, will include recent work by SUNY Oswego faculty that includes painting, drawing, computer-generated graphics, mixed media, sculpture, photography, ceramics and prints.

    Visitors' parking is available and free to attend Hirsch's talk and the artists' opening reception. All gallery events are free and open to the public. The exhibitions will run through Nov. 1.

    Tyler Art Gallery hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays. Visitors with disabilities who need assistance to attend any gallery program are invited to call 312-2113.

- END -

Ceramist Richard Hirsch at work.

MAN AT WORK — Ceramist Richard Hirsch will present a public talk about his work at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, in Tyler Art Gallery at SUNY Oswego. His exhibition, "Richard Hirsch — Vessels: Substance and Sustenance," will open with a reception that evening from 6 to 8 p.m. and will be on view at Tyler Art Gallery through Nov. 1. The talk is admission-free and open to the public. For more information, call Tyler Art Gallery at 312-2113.  (Photo credit: Geoff Tesch)



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