TANG MUSEUM OF ART, SKIDMORE COLLEGE, Saratoga Springs, NY

Ceramic piece by Kathy Butterly, Assume Yes Exhibit at the Tang Museum, Skidmore, College.

On the campus of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, stands a large angular building, the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery. Its stated purpose is to “awaken the community to the richness and diversity of the human experience through the medium of art.” The museum mounts twelve exhibitions each year and students are often involved in the curatorial process. It is an impressive resource for the students at Skidmore as well as for the wider community.

A long walkway leads to the entrance of the Tang Museum.

Tang Museum of Art

Fringe, by Oliver Frontini. Senior Thesis Exhibit.

I visited the Tang Museum in May, on graduation weekend when the senior thesis exhibition featuring works by graduating art majors occupied one of the main floor galleries. A large sculptural piece by Oliver Frontini, dominated the lobby. It was the Outstanding Senior Thesis award winner.

Student work spanned a wide range of media--painting, photography, textiles, sculpture, metalwork and more.

Metalwork. Senior Thesis Exhibit.

Woven textiles. Senior Thesis Exhibit.

In the other main floor gallery Kathy Butterly's inventive ceramic pieces were scattered across large table-height platforms, each piece glowing like a large jewel. None of them are more than a foot tall, but by giving each of them their own space they didn't feel overwhelmed by the large room. Each one had its own personality.

Ceramics by Kathy Butterly.

  

Ceramics by Kathy Butterly.

Ceramics by Kathy Butterly.

More exhibits were in the upstairs galleries. Here is a sample of some of the pieces that caught my eye.

All These Growing Things exhibit.

Alewife, 2014. By Alexis Rockman. The Alewife is one of a few species of fish that can live in both fresh and saltwater.

View of second floor galleries.

"Rug"