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UB Art Galleries mark eclipse with special exhibit, installation

Clayton Pond, Delineating the Constellation to Simplify Astronomy for the Average Man, 1979. Image of a spaceship and an astronaut.

Clayton Pond, Delineating the Constellation to Simplify Astronomy for the Average Man, 1979. Serigraph on paper, 30 x 40 inches. University at Buffalo Art Galleries: Gift of the David K. Anderson Charitable Remainder Trust, 2014. © Clayton Pond.

UBNOW STAFF

Published March 29, 2024

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The UB Art Galleries is celebrating the total solar eclipse with a special exhibition and installation, both at the UB Anderson Gallery.

“Looking Up: Celestial Work from the UB Art Galleries Permanent Collection” runs April 6 through July 26 on the second floor of the gallery. Offering a look at celestial prints and paintings inspired by the total solar eclipse, it showcases the multifaceted approaches of artists who have taken the time to “look up.”

The exhibition includes works from the UB Art Galleries’ permanent collection by artists Ellen Carey, Adele Cohen, Virginia Cuthbert-Elliott, Tom Dean, Sam Francis, Libby Hague, John Hultberg, Donald Nichols, Nathan Oliveira, Dennis Oppenheim, Clayton Pond, Robert Rauschenberg, Sam Richardson, Arnold Shives, Julian Stanczak, Otis Tamasauskas and Robert Young. Also featured is a new, large-scale, woodblock print by Zorawar Sidhu and Rob Swainston, whose “History is Present” exhibition also opens April 6 in the Anderson Gallery.

Zoom image: Poster advertizing the "Looking UP Looking Down" exhibit. Poster advertizing the "Looking UP Looking Down" exhibit.

“Looking Down” is a temporary installation designed for the safe and interactive observation of the eclipse. It will be on view from noon to 6 p.m. April 8 in the parking lot of the Anderson Gallery, 1 Martha Jackson Place, off Englewood Avenue near the South Campus. 

It is presented in collaboration with UB architecture faculty members Christopher Romano, Michael Hoover and Randy Fernando; printmakers Sidhu and Swainston; and UB Art Galleries staff.

Inspired by the intricate carving and layering techniques of the woodcut prints in Sidhu and Swainston’s “History is Present,” and built from plywood panels the artists salvaged from boarded-up windows in New York City in 2020 and 2021, “Looking Down” incorporates constellations of holes that will activate as the moon moves in front of the sun during the total solar eclipse.

The transformed remnants from the printmaking process now function as conduits for projecting light — allowing viewers to witness the celestial spectacle together, looking at the ground as a projection plane and a safe field to observe the moon’s passage.

The event also includes all-ages art activities inspired by the eclipse and celestial themes, as well as the opportunity for attendees to build their own eclipse viewer using everyday materials.

Attendees should bring their own seating; no parking will be available at the Anderson Gallery and participants are encouraged to walk, bike or use public transportation.