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"Hands On" at the Handwerker |
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Under the watchful eye of Cheryl Kramer, the new director of the Handwerker, juniors Caroline Brooks and Jessica Murray were unpacking the cardboard boxes, peeling off inventory numbers, and unwrapping the green bubble wrap that encased the objects. It's all part of the museology course Kramer is teaching. Instead of just explaining how to put on an exhibition, Kramer is giving her class the chance to pick out works from the permanent collection and organize an exhibit for the beginning of the second semester. The class had been studying the paper inventory of the collection for weeks. Now, says Brooks, "this is like opening a really big candy box and going, 'I wonder what the center of this chocolate is.' " Apart from a few objects that are displayed in offices and lobbies around campus, most of the permanent collection has been packed up since the College art gallery moved from East Buffalo Street to South Hill in 1972. The tortured faces of the tribal masks and the shy eyes of the painted courtesans were seeing the light of day for the first time in years. When Kramer first surveyed the permanent collection in August, she said that she was struck by how eclectic it was. It contains many examples of non-Western art as well as more traditional prints and paintings. It also contains some children's art and other odd finds that intrigue Kramer. "It would be fun to have a 'look what I found' exhibit, " she says. "There's got to be a story behind each object, and I'd love to take the time to look into some [of them]." Lauren O'Connell, associate professor and chair of art history, says that the collection is relatively small because some of it was sold off years ago. The total number of objects and their collective value are still a mystery. O'Connell says that there's been no real acquisitions policy--the gallery just received donations--but now that Kramer is in charge, the gallery can start collecting on a small scale. "We're really excited to have her, and I think this ushers in a new era for the gallery," O'Connell says. Since coming to the College, Kramer has been asking people what they want from the gallery. She is particularly interested in attracting a wider array of visitors from on and off campus. She hopes for poetry readings and class visits as well as openings and artist lectures. She also wants to allow student interns to get professional experience cataloging work and doing condition reports for the gallery. Before coming to Ithaca College, Kramer taught at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She got her bachelor's degree in art history at Louisiana State University, master's degree in art history at Rutgers University, and doctorate at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. In graduate school she dedicated herself to the study of contemporary Russian art and Cyrillic, and she visited Russia more than once to do visual and archival research. Kramer likes a challenge. Perhaps that's what attracted her to the anti-establishment ethos of Russian avant-garde art. She said she hopes that the visitors to the Handwerker Gallery will challenge themselves as well--especially when looking at contemporary art. "It can be intimidating, and I think in part it's because we're used to looking at things and having an instant message," Kramer says. She wants to be there to answer questions and encourage students, so they too can have "moments with the objects," whether they're unpacking boxes in the back room or gazing at the array of work that will grace the walls of the Handwerker this year. --Emily Brown '05 Emily Brown is the "Accent" editor of the Ithacan. The original version of this story appeared in the October 2, 2003, issue of the Ithacan. Reprinted with permission. Photo by John Clisham |
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