The Crane Arts Center is holding its “Victory for Tyler: Victory for All 2013” alumni art exhibit between March 27 and April 13. The exhibit, founded in 2007 to the Tyler School of Art, will display artwork of all types – paintings, photographs, sculptures and more, all from Tyler alumni.
The exhibit is free and open for anyone with an interest in art. The public will have a chance to walk around and examine the different pieces of work from 38 different artists, which are diverse, from recent graduates of Tyler’s program to graduates from the ‘80s, ‘70s and ‘60s. There will also be an opening reception that will take place on April 6 from 6-8 p.m., which is also free and open to the public.
There is a large variety of artwork being displayed in the exhibit, including artwork to work that’s more extravagant, such as a giant, pink man standing in the center of a room. Lines are painted on the body, so it looks like it’s displaying the muscle system of the human body.
Photography is also a part of the exhibit, like a picture of a man’s hand on the steering wheel and a truck in front of him on a highway, crafted by James Maiello and called “20/20,” named for the numbers on the back of the truck.
Rebekah Callaghan, one of the artists showcasing her paintings and a 2008 alumna, speaks highly of the exhibit and Tyler.
“I think it really speaks to Tyler, that it has such a strong program that people are keeping up their practice long after they’re in school for it,” Callaghan said. “It also speaks to the strong community that the school has.”
Callaghan also explained that the exhibit is open to any Tyler alumni if they want to apply and showcase their work. A few of the pieces being shown are from students who have graduated very recently, including in 2012.
The paintings that Callaghan had done for the show, titled “Clouder” and “Untitled (jk),” were abstract works, made from mixing different pieces of color.
“They come from parts of previous paintings,” Callaghan said. “It’s almost like I zoomed in on one portion of what was a pretty representable painting, and zooming in that one moment, repainted it, and it became abstract moments. They’re all deriving from and building a history of its own.”
John Costanzo, a 1949 alumnus from Tyler who graduated in 1949, had one of his sculptures on display, titled “Terpsichore #3.” It looked like a connection of disks, moving in an uneven line. Costanzo said he made it by combining Apoxie, a sculpting compound, and gravel to “give it its textual effect.” He then sprayed it with automobile paint.
Dona Nelson, a professor at Tyler for painting, was at the exhibit, observing some of the work done. She spoke about her thoughts on the exhibit and the relative fullness of the room given its large size.
“It’s interesting to see how people make art after they graduate,” Nelson said. “To see the art change … it’s interesting to see that mature.”
Callaghan expressed her excitement, seeing former students keep up with their process so long after Tyler.
“I would say it’s a really nice representation of the community that Tyler supports,” Callaghan said.
She explained how the program always has a different curator. The one for this show is Paulina Pobocha, an assistant curator in the department of painting and sculpture at The Museum of Modern Art.
“That’s was really exciting to have someone from New York looking at the images and choosing the show,” Callaghan said.
The exhibit is a credit to Tyler’s program, Callaghan added.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Tyler and what it taught me,” Callaghan said. “It also speaks to how art can continue to grow and connect people from different areas of life.”
The Crane Arts Center is located at 1400 N. American St., and the exhibit is being held in the back of the center, in a space called the Ice Box Project.
Matthew Hulmes can be reached at mhulmes@temple.edu.
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