For nearly half a century, Light Work has financially and artistically supported artists while pushing forward the public’s conversation on contemporary issues. This fall, the organization will showcase some of the most powerful pieces in Light Work’s collection. 

The exhibition, “Be Strong and Do Not Betray Your Soul,” was curated in partnership with For Freedoms, a platform that supports artists through civic engagement and direct action. The organization’s co-founders, Eric Gottesman and Hank Willis Thomas, are both former artists-in-residence at Light Work. 

The teams worked together to select more than 40 photographs from the Light Work Collection — home to more than 4,000 pieces from its guest artists. Various forms of multimedia artwork are stored in a temperature controlled room and are viewable through Light Work’s online database. 

“We’ve been collecting that work since the ‘70s, when we started the residency program,” Light Work Associate Director Mary Lee Hodgens said. Each artist-in-residence donates a piece to the collection.   

The curators looked through every photograph in the collection, Evan Walsh, communications coordinator at For Freedoms, said. Working alongside Gottesman, Walsh helped select the nearly 50 images that resonated with the exhibit’s theme, which includes work from John Edmonds, Claire Beckett and Amy Elkins, among others. 

“Jordan Raising His Hand (Encounter)” by former Light Work artist-in-residence John Edmonds is featured in the “Be Strong and Do Not Betray Your Soul” exhibit. Courtesy of Light Work

“We’re thinking about artists who reject the world presented as it is or the world that we perceive,” Walsh said. “And they say: ‘I perceive it this way. I perceive it differently and I want to push forward a different vision of the world that we live in.’” 

This 50 State Initiative is an effort to push the dialogue across the country through public art and billboard installations before the November midterm elections, per Light Work’s press release.  

Six billboard installations are in Syracuse from Aug. 13 through Oct. 7. They are intended to “inject nuance” into standard forms of advertising by showcasing thought-provoking art, Walsh said. One of the billboards, designed by photographer Carrie Mae Weems, reads, “With Democracy In The Balance There Is Only One Choice.”  

Since its planning stages in fall 2017, Walsh said The 50 State Initiative has accumulated more than 200 activations across the country to host local artist talks and exhibitions. Its partners include more than 80 museums and 80 universities, he added. For Freedoms distributes toolkits to local organizations interested in getting involved and hosting their own events. 

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Hodgens said this is the first time For Freedoms — launched in 2016 — has partnered with Light Work. She said she hopes exhibit audiences leave with a new awareness of the Light Work Collection and of the role art plays in activism and politics.   

“One way to express yourself is through the arts, and it’s a really important tool for all of us, not just for artists,” Hodgens said.  

“Be Strong and Do Not Betray Your Soul” opens at Light Work on Aug. 27. An exhibition reception will take place on September 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. and will feature a gallery talk with Gottesman. 

Published on August 26, 2018 at 9:55 pm

Contact Haley: hrober03@syr.edu