Starting Tuesday, September 5th, through Wednesday, October 20th, Willie Binnie’s “Black Sun” exhibition will be showcased at Dowd Gallery. A captivating total solar eclipse inspired an entire collection of work that reflects on both the grandeur and simplistic aspects of the cosmos. The exhibit is currently on display at the gallery and open to the public free of charge.
What to Look Forward to at the Dowd Gallery
The exhibition will be in the Gallery of the Dowd Fine Arts Center on the corner of Prospect Terrace and Graham Avenue. In relation to “Black Sun,” the Dowd Gallery has an array of events available to the public that are accessible from the gallery website. From an Artist’s Talk on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 5 p.m., where Binnie will speak about his development of the exhibition, to a guided tour of the exhibition led by Cortland Arts Connect on Thursday, Oct. 6 from 5:30 p.m., to 8 p.m. There are several opportunities to get immersed in this experience! The tour will also be made virtual and live on Facebook and the Dowd Gallery. On Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. there will even be a screening of “The Seventh Seal,” a film by Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, who has influenced Binnie’s work since his early career.
Gallery Talks
There will also be two Gallery Talks to give visitors an opportunity to consider the art from new perspectives and ways of thinking. The first one, taking place at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct 5, will be led by Art and Art History Department assistant professor Wylie Schwartz on the topic of “The Art of Social Change: A Nordic Model” where Binnie’s work will be looked at under the scope of the “Nordic model” of art analysis and interpretation. The second, titled “Out of Time: Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal” will be at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, and led by adjunct lecturer of the English Department, Howard Lindh.
What Is “Black Sun”?
“Black Sun” includes works spanning several artist mediums such as watercolor, acrylic and oil paints, and several sketches. These works capture what Binnie referred to as “…the sense of collapsing time and feeling a truly existential sense of being infinitesimally small and inconsequential…”. Dowd Gallery director, Jaroslava Prihodova, says the title is both “symbolic and literal” in Binnie’s artwork, encompassing more than just the sight of the total solar eclipse he witnessed a few years ago in South Carolina. Regarding the thought processes that play into his creations, Binnie credits the intricacies of humanity, citing his interest in human nature, and resilience, “I’m fascinated by humanity’s binding exceptionalism…and dependence on objects, such as the sun, that enable life to exist in the first place.”
When to Visit
Dowd Gallery is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Extended hours are available each Thursday and by appointment, allowing access to the gallery until 7 p.m. For more information, refer to the Dowd Gallery website.