Soviet-Era Art Symposium

Join us for a Soviet-Era Art Symposium: “From Canvas to Cosmos: Soviet Art, Solaris, Space Exploration, and the Science of Serene Spaces” Thursday, Jan. 18 through Saturday, Jan. 20, in the H. F. Johnson Gallery of Art.

The symposium is a three-day event featuring the “Place/Trace” exhibition of Soviet landscape paintings and a showcase of studio art majors’ diverse works. “Place/Trace” is an exhibition of 20th century landscape paintings curated from Carthage’s Samuel and Berry Shoen Collection of Soviet Art. “Place/Trace” is a playful and speculative exhibition that contemplates the landscapes but also the trace evidence of the people and artists who called these places home.

A second exhibition features a group of 2024 graduating studio art majors. In advance of their senior thesis, this showcase is a coquettish display of what’s to come. Representing a breadth of media, including ceramics, illustration, installation, video, photography, sculpture, painting and fibers, this exposition is a springboard event for our emerging professional artists.

Professor Gregory Baer discusses East German films, and a screening of Tarkovsky’s “Solaris” (1972) is followed by a talk from moving image curator James Kreul. Esther Sternberg will present “The Science of Beautiful Spaces,” connecting mind-body well-being to the environment. The celebration culminates in a roundtable discussion on the new space race featuring Carthage faculty and the University of Michigan Law School’s Donald Moore.

These not-to-miss events delve into Soviet history, space exploration, film, and fascinating interdisciplinary perspectives.

All art exhibits are free and open to the public.