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Elaborate metalwork jewelry, massive sculptures, intricate drawings, busy canvases, photographs and projected videos fill the Nancy Cantor Warehouse Gallery in downtown Syracuse. The white walls and sharp corners overflow with textures, color and sound, transforming an otherwise plain space.

Beneath each piece, a placard describes the Syracuse University faculty member who created it.

“These artists are going beyond their departments and expanding the scope of their mediums,” Lauren Ashley Baker, art exhibitions operations coordinator for the gallery, said.

This exhibit is the first in the newly renovated gallery space. Its name, “Overture: 2025 Faculty Survey,” represents this inaugural display, Baker said. As a musical overture serves as an orchestral introduction, the faculty display begins a new era of the gallery space.

“The title resonated with me with the beginning of this gallery space,” Baker said. “And we’re off with a bang.”

“Overture” features the artwork of nearly 30 faculty members from SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. It’s on display at the Warehouse Gallery from Feb. 7 to March 3, featuring a wide range of art mediums, from textile and ceramics to photography, illustration and set design.

Educators from each of VPA’s departments are represented throughout the exhibit, showcasing the diverse art forms and styles of the school’s faculty. The variety of mediums, including art, design and drama, enhances the gallery’s impact, Baker said. The exhibit allows students and community members to appreciate the richness and variety within VPA.

The gallery presents a valuable opportunity for students to see the work their professors have done and view real, successful examples of the techniques they learn in the classroom, Carmel Nicoletti, associate professor in the School of Design, said.

“They think of us as these people that are just teaching them stuff, but they don’t think of us as creators in and of ourselves,” Nicoletti said. “They get to see that we actually practice the things that we preach.”

Nicoletti showcased metalwork jewelry for the gallery. As a dancer and visual artist, she utilizes these mediums to create statement pieces. She made sure she felt connected to the pieces she chose to submit as she sees her work as an extension of herself.

Chasden Gilson-Walker | Contributing Photographer

“Overture: 2025 Faculty Survey” features the artwork of nearly 30 faculty members from SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. The survey exhibits a variety of mediums ranging from massive sculptures to projected videos.

The gallery also gives faculty the opportunity to appreciate the work of their colleagues, differing from other exhibits where they may not know the artists, Todd Conover, associate professor of fashion design, said. As their art evolves and changes, it’s exciting to share it with fellow faculty, Nicolleti said.

Conover, who began his career in fashion design, now works with metal to create a new approach to jewelry. He borrowed pieces back from an avid collector of his work to include in the collection. He said the exhibit has allowed him to see those pieces in a different light.

“It’s very interesting to revisit a piece that you haven’t seen in a while, because suddenly all of the making part of it falls away and I look at it in a very different way,” Conover said.

In the past, VPA hosted annual faculty showcases at the beginning of the school year, Margie Hughto, professor of ceramics, said. Hughto has taught art for over fifty years, with her work featured in airports and train stations.

Her contributions to the collection are three large platter-shaped ceramic pieces titled “Vast Riches,” “Deep Space,” and “Space and Time.” The works, inspired by the cosmic landscapes captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, are formed with black clay and ceramic slips to reflect the look of outer space.

Faculty like Hughto agree it’s important for students to see what their professors’ work looks like. They’ve long advocated for a university-affiliated space to display their work, and were excited to see it finally come to fruition, Dusty Herbig, professor of printmaking, said.

Recently, the faculty showcases haven’t been able to go up partly due to a lack of gallery space, so Nicolletti said she hopes these faculty shows will continue regularly in the future. Herbig compared the lack of gallery space for VPA faculty to a drama program without a stage. Without a place to show their work, they’ve felt something was missing.

“We’ve been long overdue for a faculty show and an exhibition space,” Herbig said. “It’s been such a battle for so long.”

The Nancy Cantor Warehouse sits in the heart of downtown Syracuse. Its location is a crucial part of the gallery’s impact, Baker said. It allows the artists to “bridge the gap” between the Syracuse community and the university, making the art scene more accessible for everyone. The faculty, both as SU instructors and local community members, are able to showcase their work in both the places they’re connected to, Herbig said.

The gallery hosted an opening reception on Feb. 7., which over 400 students, faculty and community members attended. Baker said it was exciting to see the exhibit so “jam-packed.” Conover is glad he and his colleagues finally have a space to speak about their work — something they haven’t always been afforded. The crowd was a testament to the impact the artist community will continue to have on the university and the surrounding community.

“It was great to see the space full of people having conversations about the work and connecting with one another,” Baker said. “That’s what the space is truly meant for, for us to have engagement through conversations and talking about art, and to be a cultural hub for the university.”

Published on February 19, 2025 at 10:12 pm

Contact Eliana: ehrosen@syr.edu