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‘SEIZED’ to open Saturday
“SEIZED,” an exhibition of the artwork behind the four-year legal ordeal of UB faculty member Steven Kurtz, will open with a reception from 8-11 p.m. Saturday in Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, 341 Delaware Ave., Buffalo.
The exhibition, which will be on view through July 18, is presented by Critical Art Ensemble (CAE) and the Institute for Applied Autonomy. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1–4 p.m. on Saturday.
Kurtz, a professor in the Department of Visual Studies and founding member of the Critical Art Ensemble, was accused by the U.S. Justice Department of bioterrorism and later indicted on charges of mail fraud for procuring harmless bacterial cultures for use in an educational art project. The case, which recently was dismissed, attracted worldwide attention and rallied the international arts community to support Kurtz.
“SEIZED” will focus on the work and materials that were seized by federal authorities, in particular the multimedia project “Marching Plague,” which was commissioned by The Arts Catalyst, a UK-based art-science initiative, and produced in consultation with scientists from the Harvard-Sussex Program on Chemical and Biological Weapons Armament and Arms Limitation. The project includes an installation, performance, film and book dedicated to demystifying issues surrounding germ warfare programs and the cost of their development to global public health.
The exhibition also will display project documentation and ephemera from the three other CAE projects confiscated by authorities. These works—“Free Range Grain,” “Molecular Invasion” and “GenTerra”—use the framework of science and research to inspire informed dialogue about questions and concerns surrounding the new biotechnologies.
In addition, “SEIZED” will feature the physical artifacts of the 2004 FBI investigation of Kurtz. Items seized from Kurtz's home will be documented in photographs depicting the negative spaces remaining following their seizure: missing computers, books, notes, props from art performances, lab equipment and an unfinished manuscript. In a curious—and unintentionally performative—gesture, the gaps left by seized items are filled in by the volumes of trash left behind in the home by federal investigators: hundreds of empty drink bottles, pizza boxes, Hazmat suits and other assorted refuse, all of which will be on exhibit alongside CAE artworks.
Kids to ‘explore the arts’ in summer program
Middle school children will get a chance to “explore the arts” during the Center for the Arts’ annual theatrical arts summer program, to be held July 7-11 in the CFA, North Campus.
“Explore the Arts” is taught by a combination of UB professional staff, faculty and area professionals. The session aims to develop technical and performance skills in a nurturing and integrated environment where children can participate in a shared creative experience, ultimately expanding the participants' knowledge of and interest in the arts. Instruction will be at a level appropriate for participants; no previous theatrical instruction or experience is required.
The program consists of daily workshops covering both technical theater and performance, including such topics as scenery design and construction, creative lighting and sound operation, costume design, basic acting and dance.
The workshops are process-oriented and do not culminate in a dramatic production. Parents will be invited to a reception on the final day of the program.
The cost of the program is $300, and includes all classroom materials, morning and afternoon snacks, lunch and final reception. The registration deadline is June 20. For more information, call 645-6754, ext. 1388, or click here.