Exhibit at CSMA features artists' reflections on Sept. 11

An exhibit by Ithaca area artists of works influenced by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be on display at the Gallery of the Community School of Music and Arts, 330 East State St. in downtown Ithaca beginning Friday, April 26, through May 27.

The exhibit, which includes paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, fiber art and poetry, is free and open to the public. Museum hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays.

Opening night for the artists and the public is this Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., and it will include performances by members of the Finger Lakes Women's Chorale and the Ithaca Trumpet Crew. The exhibit also will be open on "Gallery Night," Friday, May 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. An afternoon poetry reading is planned for Saturday, May 4, from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

The exhibit was conceived of six months ago by Sally Dutko, a graphic designer with Cornell's Office of Publications Services and a fiber artist.

"The idea came to me during the [Ithaca] Art Trail weekend when I was visiting artists' studios and we started talking about our reactions to 9/11," she said.

Dutko found that many artists had already begun to work on pieces that reflected their own personal grief and examination of those events. Since Dutko, herself, already had begun to work on some pieces, she said, "It came to me that it would be a good idea to show this work created by our community."

Sam Velázquez, executive director of the Community School of Music and Arts, offered to donate the CSMA Gallery space, and some financial assistance has come from the Tompkins Trust Co.

Because of the heroic response and sacrifice of firefighters, organizers say a percentage of sales of exhibited work will benefit the Ithaca Fire Department.

With the help of Richard Driscoll and Robin Schwartz of the Community Arts Partnership, hundreds of area artists were contacted about exhibiting. Among the more than 70 participating artists, including many from Cornell, are: Michael Boyd, Liese Bronfenbrenner, Patricia Brown, Renate Ferro, Dede Hatch, Teresa Moorehouse Howley, Robert Leathers, Tim Merrick, George Rhoads, Carol Spence and Ralph Turturro.

For more information, contact Dutko at 255-9457 or 257-3808; e-mail: sd14@cornell.edu.