New Exhibitions Opening in January

Arlene Abend: Resolute

On view: January 22—April 17, 2022

With endless determination and unwavering commitment to her craft, Syracuse-based sculptor Arlene Abend has developed a body of work in steel, bronze, and resin that effortlessly moves between whimsy and gravitas. Combining elements of realism and abstraction, Abend’s sculpture addresses topics ranging from social justice to family dynamics to the natural world. Featuring work made across five decades, Arlene Abend: Resolute explores Abend’s innovative nature as well as her strength and resilience as both a woman and an artist.

Forever is Composed of Nows

On view: January 22—December 31, 2022

Whether artists respond to history or look to the future, creativity exists in the moment. Drawn from the Everson’s permanent collection, Forever is Composed of Nows examines a multitude of snapshots of the present moment, grouped by theme, image, or idea across different time periods and media. By examining how artists spanning three centuries have approached their present—their now—using similar topics and motifs, this exhibition is a visual exploration of how values, societal customs, and art subjects have evolved over time.

Dawn Williams Boyd: Woe

On view: January 29—April 10, 2022

The sheer size of Dawn Williams Boyd’s “cloth paintings” adds to their larger-than-life, often brutal subject matter. Her exhibition, Woe, is a collection of works that reflect a lifelong critique of social injustices and racial violence, epic battles with misogyny, and physical and psychological abuses of power. There is no such thing as neutral history. Using scraps of fabric, needles, and thread as her tools, Boyd painstakingly “paints” the entire surface of her quilts, layer upon layer, cutting, sewing, endlessly repurposing, building the surface into a formidable, authoritative source that pulls no punches.

Charley Friedman: Soundtracks for 

the Present Future

On view: January 29—April 10, 2022

Soundtracks for the Present Future is an immersive auditory installation that combines nearly 60 second-hand guitars, mandolins, and basses to create a singular instrument. Suspended from the ceiling in a constellation, the instruments form a labyrinth of sounds and vibrations that perpetually shifts as viewers navigate the work. Through computer software, the instruments “play” various compositions ranging from classical European music to new or recent compositions modified for this installation.

Laura Reeder: Now More Than Ever

On view: January 29—March 13, 2022

Now More Than Ever, the inaugural exhibition for the CNY Artist Initiative, is an evolving installation of over 2000 digital images captured over the past ten years as artist Laura Reeder moves through her everyday life. The photos are taken everywhere—at work, in cities, in nature, while housekeeping, at meals, and as pauses or interruptions in a moment. During a pandemic, digital images connect us to each other; by presenting images in a physical space, Now More Than Ever offers respite and resistance to our sense-dulling digital lives.