The Art Museum at SUNY Potsdam Presents 'Unconventional Narrative: The Triumph of the Witch'

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The Gibson Gallery will showcase many works in the opening exhibition of “Unconventional Narrative: The Triumph of the Witch” on Thursday, March 7.

POTSDAM, NY (03/07/2013)(readMedia)-- The Art Museum at SUNY Potsdam will showcase challenging contemporary works in an exhibit curated by an alumnus, called "Unconventional Narrative: The Triumph of the Witch." The exhibition opens today in the Roland Gibson Gallery and will remain up until Saturday, April 6.

The curator of the exhibit, Joseph Leroux is a recent SUNY Potsdam graduate who feels passionately about the arts, and the imagination that this exhibition showcases.

"As curator, I have imagined and set forth a blueprint to make these works interact in the most imaginative and considerate ways possible," said Leroux.

"Unconventional Narrative: The Triumph of the Witch" brings together works from 12 American artists from across the country. The title comes from C.S. Lewis's classic novel, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe."

"This exhibition, similar to the book, has the ability to see space as a malleable construction that is dependent on the viewer's imaginative capacity. Lewis leads us to believe that four children passed through a wardrobe, exiting one seemingly real space and entering into an alternate space that is comprised of intersecting reconstructions from the world they left," Leroux said. "The gallery is a similar space; artists are able to utilize what they see, whether in film, music, literature, or life, and create works that are manipulations of their experiences in our shared world."

There is no admission fee to view the art at the Gibson Gallery. Faculty, staff, students and the public are welcome to view this exhibit six days a week.

About the curator:

Joseph Leroux is from Newton Falls, N.Y. He graduated from SUNY Potsdam with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Master of Fine Arts degree. He is currently an adjunct faculty member in the fine arts department at the Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia.

Some of Leroux's many honors include the 2006 Jurors Award from the North Country Regional Juried Art Exhibition, the 2006 Artists Choice Award from the New York State Snow Sculpting Championships and the 2005 Roland Gibson Gallery Memorial Award from the Adirondack Annual Juried Art Exhibition. He was also honored repeatedly for his works in the annual Gibson Gallery Art Attack Exhibition, earning the 2004 President's Award, the 2005 Dean's Award, the 2005 Sculpture award and the 2006 Sculpture Award.

Leroux's other exhibitions include "Sweeping up the Mess," Des Moines, Iowa, 2011; a group show at the Cleveland State University Art Gallery, 2011' a solo show at the Abington Art Center, 2011; the Faculty Triennial Exhibition at Goldie Paley Gallery, Philadelphia, Penn., 2010.

About the Museum:

The Art Museum at SUNY Potsdam serves as the center for visual arts at the College, and encompasses all of the collections found throughout campus, including in the Gibson Gallery. The Museum is dedicated to the exhibition and interpretation of quality works of art, and its collection includes significant artworks from the 20th and 21st centuries as well as earlier pieces.

The mission of The Art Museum at The State University of New York at Potsdam is to make direct experience of the visual arts accessible to students, faculty, staff and alumni of the College, as well as to residents of Northern New York.

Admission to the Gibson Gallery, located at Brainerd Hall, is free, and the exhibition space is handicapped-accessible. The Art Museum is open to the public from noon until 5 p.m. on Monday and Friday, from noon until 7 p.m. from Tuesday through Thursday, and from noon until 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

For more information, call (315) 267-3290 or visit www.potsdam.edu/museum.

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of only three arts campuses in the entire SUNY system. SUNY Potsdam's arts curriculum offers the full palette: music, theatre, dance, fine arts and creative writing. No matter the discipline, people from all backgrounds can find their creative compass at Potsdam, with myriad arts immersion experiences available for both campus and community.

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