Current Exhibits

The Zoellner Gallery

Currently in the Zoellner main Gallery, we have two provocative exhibits. Our first is a Stirring Song Sung Heroic: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom, which is presented to encourage discussions about slavery, the Civil War and current race relations. Our second exhibit is Facework, which shows traditional American ceramic vessels from the South and the North. In our lower gallery, we have a student currated and run exhibit inspired by the New York Times article Is It Art?, which makes the viewer question whether they believe a piece is art or not.

Our Current Exhibits

A Stirring Song Sung Heroic

A Stirring Song is a small sampling of our exhibit created by artist William Earl Williams. The collection of photographs, newspaper clippings and paintings "provides a visual means to understand that it was in these places and landscapes that the moral and legal groundwork for the modern black Civil Rights Movement - and the concept of civil rights for all Americans - was established." Past viewiers of the exhibit have mentioned how their families were involved in the underground railroads. Opertions Administrator, Denise Stengl, recalls a very powerful moment when a passerby mentioned how her family was involved in providing safe houses for freed slaves.

Facework

A few excerpts from the exhibit, which have been provided by local pottery makers and artists. Facework is the "manifestation of [the] universal human impulse to find both sacred and profane meanings in the creative facework of our physical and emotional lives." This exhibit is best experienced by "stopping and taking in each individual face," said curator Mark Wonsidler. Stengl adds that Facework "strikes a chord by making you think about what each face is trying to say." The exaggerated details of each face highlights both the human qualities in the exhibit and embraces the American traditions of the past.