With the total solar eclipse that will be traversing Western New York just around the corner, SUNY Brockport’s Tower Fine Arts Center Gallery will be hosting not one but two exhibitions that are thematically linked to the astronomical phenomenon. Sun and Moon, an invitational exhibition featuring solar and lunar-inspired photographic and print works will fill the Gallery itself, while The Art of the Eclipse: Works by Tyler Nordgren, will fill the Tower Lobby with Nordgren’s WPA-inspired works. Both exhibitions opened on February 1. The Nordgren show runs through February 25 and Sun and Moon runs through March 3. The Gallery is located at 180 Holley Street, Brockport, and the exhibitions are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.
On the subject of Sun and Moon, Gallery Director Tate Shaw reminds us that “humans have forever interpreted the skies, beginning with moon cycles being notched in stone. As a lead-up to the Eclipse itself, this show will feature works from national and regional contemporary artists bringing together their own experiments with astronomical interpretation in digital prints, photograms, pinhole prints, lumen printing, film, video, printmaking, and photo books.”
The Tyler Nordgren exhibition has been touring around the Rochester region since last spring, to highlight the works of this astronomer/artist. Nordgren created posters for the 2017 eclipse, which are now in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. He has worked for more than a decade with the National Park Service to turn the national parks into the single largest source for public science and astronomy education. Nordgren has “photographed our national parks at night with exquisite night sky photography, given countless astronomical tours to the public, and advocated for us all to learn more about the astronomical wonders in the sky. It’s my personal goal to inform and educate the public through artwork.”
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