After more than two decades as Gallery Director at SUNY Brockport, Tim Massey retired at the end of the last academic year. Rather than shine the spotlight on himself, he took the invitation to do a “farewell” exhibition as a chance to also share the work of his former students. Massey and Friends: Looking Backward, Looking Forward, featuring Massey’s work as well as that of eight other visual artists, will run from January 31 through March 5 in the Tower Fine Arts Center Gallery, 180 Holley Street, Brockport. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours for this exhibition are Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. An opening reception will take place on Tuesday, January 31, at 4 p.m.
Now that he is away from the Brockport campus, Massey has more time to make art and reflect on his years in the classroom, where he helped shape budding young artists. He left several of his own works behind when he vacated his office, allowing Interim Gallery Director, Jennifer Hecker, to curate which of those works will be shown, mixed in with a few new works he recently shipped to Brockport.
The eight artists whose works will also be a part of the show include Torrell Arnold ’13, Emma Brooks ’13, Kat Charnley ’17, Pat Curry ’90/’12, Meaghan Malerk ’16, Katie Ann Mertz ’10, Kathryn Smith ’08, and Sam Symonds ’22. Massey invited them to show a work they made when they were a Brockport student paired with a more recent work of theirs. The eight were selected not only because they were former students who have stayed in touch with Massey, but because he knew they “have continued to be makers of things and pursued artistic opportunities after graduating.”
Reflecting on his time running the Gallery, Massey’s fondest memories include “all the student art competition exhibitions, because it was always crunch time and the gallery management students who worked on the shows always found a way to pull it off.” He also enjoyed working on shows that were a bit of a departure for the Gallery, exploring “opportunities to have ‘fun’ shows like Cabinets of Curiosity, Setting the Stage, Not Right, and The Great Spirograph® Challenge.”
Taking stock of his supposed “free time,” Massey is busier than ever, maintaining his family farm or working on new projects in his studio. Specific times of the year come around when his “muscle memory” kicks in, making him feel that he “should be doing this or that, but I’m not. On the other hand, I do really miss being in the studio with the kids.”
Massey is not one for the concept of leaving behind a legacy. However, he does “hope that people will remember I worked hard for my paycheck, had a good imagination, and got a few things accomplished.”
SUNY Brockport’s up-to-date COVID-19 prevention guidelines can be found at https://fineartstix.brockport.edu, the Fine Arts Series Facebook page, and at https://brockport.edu/coronavirus. Compliance with campus protocols is required in order to attend any performances or events.
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