Art Crawl Moves Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead. All Aboard!

Stony Brook University's semiannual Art Crawl on April 8 had stops at four galleries on campus. Photos by Ellen Cooke.

Showcasing once again SBU's strength, prominence and impact in the sciences as well as the arts, the university's semiannual Art Crawl tradition put the 'A' into STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) to the delight and enlightenment of participating students, faculty, staff and community members when it resumed a fully guided string of exhibitions across campus on April 8.

With stops at the Wang Center, Zuccaire Gallery, Melville Library's Alloway Gallery and the Simons Center - and with artistic expressions ranging from sacred paper folding, to ceramics, to mixed media - there was something for everyone.

Community member/entrepreneur retiree and artist Susan Leonetti said she's always thrilled to see all that's happening on campus, which is just minutes away from her home. "I love this!", she exclaimed as she made her way through the guided exhibits. "I love the energy of young people and learning new things. And there are so many amazing and extraordinary artistic expressions that are just very, very interesting conceptually. I wouldn't miss this."

Stony Brook alumnus Kayla Gomez Molano '25 was also excited to be along for the Art Crawl ride. The art history/studio arts major who worked in the Zuccaire Gallery helping install shows during her studies here said she misses campus life but "living close by in Centereach, I get to come and visit and be part of this great community scene."

Leonetti and Molano were joined by dozens of other art appreciators of all ages and from all walks of life in what was a well-attended, engaging event. Take a look:

Eric Murphy (in red) kicked of this semester's Art Crawl at the Wang Center with a look at Korean sacred paper folding rituals.

First Stop: Charles B. Wang Center
Asian Art and Culture Program Coordinator Eric Murphy conducted the first leg of the crawl, something he said he looks forward to every semester. "It gives us an opportunity for the 'art-curious' to see all the wonderful things that artists - as well as the people who coordinate all the behind-the-scene stuff to make these exhibitions possible - have worked so hard on to bring to them. Not only that, but it can be a non-intimidating introduction to art and locations distributed around campus that ends up being more of an adventure than a scholastic requirement that can be revisited in depth at any point!" Sacred Paper: Korean Ritual Arts is on view at the Wang Center through May 24.

Zuccaire Gallery Director and Curator Karen Levitov (left) with "Landscape of Awe" artist/MFA student Becca Osborn.

Second Stop: Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery
Karen Levitov, Zuccaire Gallery director and curator said what she loves most about the crawl is "that it brings together students, faculty, staff and community members to experience all of the amazing art on campus." She was especially excited about this semester's exhibit, which included "a beautiful installation" by Master of Fine Arts (MFA) student Becca Osborn called Landscape of Awe, which she described as "a labyrinth-like pathway with ceramic sculptures and earth that invites contemplation about life cycles and the natural world."

Osborn shared the deep and profound sentiments behind her work, built on the foundation of expressing how grief can alter the ways we move through space and time, and drawing on her own experiences following the death of her mother. Visitors also enjoyed a pop-up exhibition - 50 Years of Art at the Zuccaire Gallery - designed to be a fun look back at the Gallery's exhibitions over the decades - with artwork, catalogs, slide shows and a free giveaway poster.

From left: First-year MFA student artists Hui-Ching Hsu, Festus Alagbe, Ben Truong and Anna Corso-Rosas.

Third Stop: Lawrence Alloway Memorial Gallery
From mixed media sculpture, to surreal acrylic paint canvases, to lithography prints and conceptual art installations, four first-year MFA students discussed their various art forms and the inspirations behind them. Themes ranged from natural impermanence, the politics of care and the various definitions of "home" (Anna Corso-Rosas); to etiological myth, dystopian realities, psychological turmoil and absurd imagery (Ben Truong); to African culture-inspired masks and florals as metaphors for concealment, transformation and renewal (Festus Alagbe); to memories of her home country of Taiwan inspired by ice cream truck music (Hui-Ching Hsu).

Naming their artistic collaboration What Are You Looking Four?, the artists joined together to explore, express and share their visions of reality in a provocative exhibition in Melville Library's Alloway Gallery. "Our MFA cohort is very inspiring to work alongside," said Corso-Rosas, "and we all come from such different paths, it's so great to be able to walk together on this one. It means a lot to be able to share this work and our concepts as we connect with so many different people through our collaborative show and gallery." Corso-Rosas shared that her work in the show was inspired by the current legal situation of her immigrant husband as well as her immigrant grandmother's history.

Lorraine Walsh shares the history of quantum mechanics with science- and art-minded Art Crawl participants on the final leg of the tour.

Fourth, and Final, Stop: Simons Center for Geometry and Physics (SCGP)
As always, the Simons Center illustrated the intersection of science and art with its exhibition, 100 Years of Quantum Mechanics, Through its artistic rendering and infographics, this exhibit explores the early foundations of quantum theory and its evolution, as well as continued research. It offers a snapshot on how quantum mechanics underlies much of modern physics that has led to a revolutionary understanding of matter, and a profound impact on technology and innovation. The exhibit is available to view through April 30.

SCGP Art Director and Curator Lorraine Walsh said, "It was a pleasure to work on this exhibition, which was made possible through the generous time and expertise of Stony Brook's exceptional physicists. And the University Art Crawl provides an excellent opportunity to share a little quantum mechanics with the community at large!"

Keep an eye out for next semester's Art Crawl and, of course, visit these artistic landmarks of Stony Brook University any time in between!

- Ellen Cooke