WEBVTT 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:12.919 Good evening. Good afternoon, morning, whatever 00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:16.239 it is. Welcome to Good News York. No, this isn't 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:19.480 Matt, clearly. A way better version of Matt, 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:22.739 if it was. I am Mike Brindisi here on this special 00:00:22.739 --> 00:00:25.640 episode of Good News York, where we are at the 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:30.219 Everson Museum of Art in downtown Syracuse. And 00:00:30.219 --> 00:00:32.439 I am joined by the executive director of the 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:35.259 Everson Museum of Art. Elizabeth Dunbar. Hello. 00:00:35.659 --> 00:00:37.799 Hello. Well, thank you for doing this, first 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:40.920 of all. Absolutely. We're so excited to be here 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:44.939 because this is, you hear the word museum, and 00:00:44.939 --> 00:00:47.439 you kind of get a vision in your mind of what 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:49.560 it looks like, whether that's the Louvre or whatever 00:00:49.560 --> 00:00:52.979 museum. Pick a museum. But this museum, and it's 00:00:52.979 --> 00:00:55.700 very well documented, that it is... It's very 00:00:55.700 --> 00:00:57.939 original and it's very unique in a lot of ways. 00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:00.259 Correct. And I want to talk about that first 00:01:00.259 --> 00:01:03.299 because in 1911, Everson declared it would collect 00:01:03.299 --> 00:01:05.280 only American art. It was the first museum to 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:09.040 do that. Correct. Then the second decision that 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:11.900 was made was to hold one of the, this is great, 00:01:11.980 --> 00:01:14.480 one of the largest video art collections in the 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:18.760 world. And as well as you wanted to set the course 00:01:18.760 --> 00:01:20.459 for the museum's long -term commitment to the 00:01:20.459 --> 00:01:26.000 ceramic arts in 1916. How did all of that I know 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:29.480 it was kind of spaced out, but what made, what 00:01:29.480 --> 00:01:32.879 kind of forced those decisions? Well, the Everson 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:35.359 and in those years were known as the Syracuse 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:38.700 Museum of Fine Arts. So our history all dates 00:01:38.700 --> 00:01:43.900 back all the way to 1897. But back in 1911 when 00:01:43.900 --> 00:01:46.140 we declared that we would collect American art, 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:49.200 European art was the standard at those times. 00:01:49.260 --> 00:01:54.319 You would go to Paris or Berlin or across the 00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:59.879 ocean to be able to go see really the best, most 00:01:59.879 --> 00:02:02.939 relevant art. And museums here in the United 00:02:02.939 --> 00:02:05.480 States were collecting European art because they 00:02:05.480 --> 00:02:09.979 thought that was the best. In 1911, the Eversons 00:02:09.979 --> 00:02:12.280 said, hey, why aren't we collecting the work 00:02:12.280 --> 00:02:15.469 by... people living in this country. It's just 00:02:15.469 --> 00:02:17.969 as good as some of those European artists. So 00:02:17.969 --> 00:02:20.150 there you have it. That's how that started. I 00:02:20.150 --> 00:02:23.569 love that. I love that. And before we get more 00:02:23.569 --> 00:02:25.530 into the museum, I want to talk a little bit 00:02:25.530 --> 00:02:27.490 about you because you know, you think about you're 00:02:27.490 --> 00:02:30.889 the executive director, you know. When you're 00:02:30.889 --> 00:02:32.629 coming up and you're thinking, you know, some 00:02:32.629 --> 00:02:34.610 people might say, I think I want to be the director 00:02:34.610 --> 00:02:37.069 and CEO of the Everson Museum. I wouldn't even 00:02:37.069 --> 00:02:39.530 know the first thing on what direction you would 00:02:39.530 --> 00:02:42.990 go to get here. When did you become interested 00:02:42.990 --> 00:02:47.490 in this line of work or as a career? And tell 00:02:47.490 --> 00:02:49.090 us a little bit about your background. Sure. 00:02:49.210 --> 00:02:52.629 Well, I've always been one of those kids who 00:02:52.629 --> 00:02:55.530 loved art. I love to draw, I like to make things. 00:02:56.110 --> 00:02:58.349 And that's something that we try to cultivate 00:02:58.349 --> 00:03:00.460 here at the museum with all of us. of our art 00:03:00.460 --> 00:03:05.099 programs. I knew I was never going to become 00:03:05.099 --> 00:03:09.039 the world's greatest artist, but I loved art 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:12.860 history and so my background is as an art historian 00:03:12.860 --> 00:03:17.599 and I have degrees in museum studies and I started 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:22.199 working at my college, my university art museum 00:03:22.199 --> 00:03:27.400 back in the old days and it led me here. Can 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:31.159 you work in or for a museum and not have any 00:03:31.159 --> 00:03:33.800 artistic skills? Of course. OK, good. There's 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:35.719 hope for me. There's hope for me. I can draw 00:03:35.719 --> 00:03:38.120 stick figures. That's about it. But it's not 00:03:38.120 --> 00:03:40.560 just about drawing, right? When we think of museums, 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:42.659 a lot of times we picture paintings on the wall. 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:46.360 And there's a lot of that. But museum as a living 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:49.120 room is kind of a prompt that I'm thinking of. 00:03:49.219 --> 00:03:52.300 And you often talk about the museum is not as 00:03:52.300 --> 00:03:54.800 a static space but more like dynamic where every 00:03:54.800 --> 00:03:57.719 day people like us kind of feel invited. Can 00:03:57.719 --> 00:04:00.080 you describe a moment like did someone ever like 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:03.099 walk in and expect to see that art on the wall 00:04:03.099 --> 00:04:06.120 like I was talking about and then they they realized 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:09.400 wow this was even better than that and like caught 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:12.699 off guard? Yeah I hope that happens a lot of 00:04:12.699 --> 00:04:16.420 times actually. I think there are a few memorable 00:04:16.420 --> 00:04:19.920 occasions and in the last I've been here now 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:25.579 11 years. So I think one of, people talk about 00:04:25.579 --> 00:04:29.060 this one a lot, is of course you walk around 00:04:29.060 --> 00:04:31.959 the museum and you will see art on the walls, 00:04:32.019 --> 00:04:34.740 but we try to defy your expectations every now 00:04:34.740 --> 00:04:37.519 and then. And we had an exhibition about three 00:04:37.519 --> 00:04:40.079 years ago called Hoop Dreams and it was about 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:43.670 basketball. And if they were contemporary artists 00:04:43.670 --> 00:04:46.769 using basketball as a theme, as a subject matter. 00:04:46.970 --> 00:04:49.509 It's a great basketball town. Exactly. So we 00:04:49.509 --> 00:04:53.149 tried to tap into that underlying, you know, 00:04:53.430 --> 00:04:58.860 sports. fanaticism here in Syracuse and we transformed 00:04:58.860 --> 00:05:01.560 working with an artist who came with a creative 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:05.379 vision. We transformed one of our galleries into 00:05:05.379 --> 00:05:10.079 basically a basketball court with 30 basketball 00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:13.600 hoops and nets attached to the wall at different 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:15.699 heights and you could come in and shoot some 00:05:15.699 --> 00:05:22.500 hoops so. It was a very, very exciting, fun exhibition. 00:05:23.459 --> 00:05:26.779 Talked about what basketball means in our culture, 00:05:27.819 --> 00:05:32.720 but also gave people a place to play, have fun, 00:05:33.139 --> 00:05:35.439 learn at the same time. That's awesome. Now, 00:05:35.560 --> 00:05:38.620 is that exhibition still set up? No, no, that 00:05:38.620 --> 00:05:40.740 was a few years ago. That's good because I would 00:05:40.740 --> 00:05:43.779 have wanted to try. Not only can I not draw, 00:05:43.939 --> 00:05:46.120 I'm a horrendous basketball player. If that works 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:47.920 out, we don't get flinching. We had some really 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:52.199 low hoops, so you might have done okay. She already 00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:55.279 knows that I'm 5 '6", and it's flaringly obvious 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:58.740 I would need it lowered. So you guys have so 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:01.759 much to offer here in the way of art and exhibits, 00:06:02.459 --> 00:06:04.339 exhibitions like that. You also have the Louise 00:06:04.339 --> 00:06:07.220 Cafe, and it's become a huge part of the experience. 00:06:07.980 --> 00:06:11.930 How did the... idea come about to involve cuisine 00:06:11.930 --> 00:06:16.230 in an art museum? And is that something that 00:06:16.230 --> 00:06:18.310 other museums do, or is this kind of like your 00:06:18.310 --> 00:06:22.730 own innovative thing? Well, we took a traditional 00:06:22.730 --> 00:06:27.500 model and... amped it up, I would say. Just like 00:06:27.500 --> 00:06:30.279 we do exhibitions that are kind of unexpected. 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:34.920 Louise is an unexpected museum cafe. The Everson 00:06:34.920 --> 00:06:37.480 is known for its ceramics collection. However, 00:06:37.660 --> 00:06:40.060 you're not allowed to touch our ceramics collection. 00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:43.240 Like, you know, pretty much most things in the 00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:46.600 museum you can't touch. However, for Louise, 00:06:46.699 --> 00:06:53.370 we worked with a collector who collects ceramic 00:06:53.370 --> 00:06:58.850 art that is functional. So pots and cups and 00:06:58.850 --> 00:07:01.810 plates and bowls and all of those things, teacups 00:07:01.810 --> 00:07:06.129 and coffee pots and all of those kinds of things. 00:07:06.649 --> 00:07:10.129 And we use those in the cafe. They're all one 00:07:10.129 --> 00:07:13.709 of a kind, handmade, artist made works of art 00:07:13.709 --> 00:07:17.240 that you use when you have cuisine. But you don't 00:07:17.240 --> 00:07:18.819 mean like you're going to walk up to an exhibit 00:07:18.819 --> 00:07:20.300 and say, oh, I'm just going to borrow this bowl 00:07:20.300 --> 00:07:23.980 here. Not quite. These are specifically for use 00:07:23.980 --> 00:07:27.660 for the cafe. But, you know, we have some very 00:07:27.660 --> 00:07:31.339 well -known artists whose work is represented 00:07:31.339 --> 00:07:34.220 in the Louise collection. And you never know, 00:07:34.220 --> 00:07:37.939 you might order a cappuccino and be drinking 00:07:37.939 --> 00:07:42.060 from a five hundred dollar cup. Oh, that's fancy. 00:07:42.339 --> 00:07:46.019 It is fancy, but it's fun. And we want you to. 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:50.639 experience what it's like to live with art. And 00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:52.899 that's one of the ways that all of us can live 00:07:52.899 --> 00:07:55.579 with art. Yeah, and speaking of living with art, 00:07:55.699 --> 00:07:58.819 art is conversation and not lecture. You've spoken 00:07:58.819 --> 00:08:02.579 about demystifying art. What are some of the 00:08:02.579 --> 00:08:04.980 ways that the Everson Museums kind of helped? 00:08:05.420 --> 00:08:07.779 visitors feel more comfortable engaging with 00:08:07.779 --> 00:08:10.600 the exhibitions or talking about art? Yeah. Yeah. 00:08:10.740 --> 00:08:12.879 Well, like our basketball show, I think is a 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:15.779 great example. Louise Cafe, where you can, you 00:08:15.779 --> 00:08:20.579 know, hold the art. I think also we have docents 00:08:20.579 --> 00:08:24.100 here which give tours of our collections and 00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:27.000 our exhibitions. And we have a million different 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:31.360 programs going on throughout the year, from art 00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:35.850 workshops to we're having high tea. over in Louise 00:08:35.850 --> 00:08:40.090 coming up. So you can learn about all different 00:08:40.090 --> 00:08:44.889 cultures and through our free family days and 00:08:44.889 --> 00:08:47.509 community days, come in and talk with artists, 00:08:47.909 --> 00:08:51.889 go through the exhibitions with our educators, 00:08:52.750 --> 00:08:55.710 you know, really be able to learn all kinds of 00:08:55.710 --> 00:08:58.039 different things about the museum. That's wonderful. 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:01.259 Because someone like me, you can feel out of 00:09:01.259 --> 00:09:02.919 place. Like I don't belong in a museum, especially 00:09:02.919 --> 00:09:05.019 around ceramics. I'll break everything. So that's 00:09:05.019 --> 00:09:08.799 important that you have that welcoming kind of 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:11.580 attitude. Yeah, absolutely. We want this to be 00:09:11.580 --> 00:09:14.759 a place where everybody feels welcome. you are 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:17.360 represented. We have a very diverse community, 00:09:17.399 --> 00:09:20.200 so you can see yourselves in the artworks in 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:23.460 our collection and on the walls. But also we 00:09:23.460 --> 00:09:26.940 want to give you the tools to help you understand, 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:31.039 but art isn't always about understanding. It's 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:36.379 about just experiencing and seeing what you think 00:09:36.379 --> 00:09:39.179 about it. I love that. And you were talking about 00:09:39.179 --> 00:09:41.759 events and something for everybody. You guys 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:44.519 are incredibly family -friendly, and you have 00:09:44.519 --> 00:09:47.899 the upcoming 315 Mom Art Contest, which is a 00:09:47.899 --> 00:09:50.740 great example. But you also do a lot for supporting 00:09:50.740 --> 00:09:54.100 local and emerging voices. So you have the CNY 00:09:54.100 --> 00:09:56.519 Artist Initiative, the Teaching Artist Cohort. 00:09:57.139 --> 00:10:00.399 Can you talk about all of that? Sure, sure. Well, 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:04.100 we're very much engaged in helping people find 00:10:04.100 --> 00:10:07.460 their creative spirit. and working with artists 00:10:07.460 --> 00:10:12.340 of all ages and from all backgrounds. We firmly 00:10:12.340 --> 00:10:18.960 believe that we should show a vast variety of 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:22.419 art here at the museum. And in some cases we 00:10:22.419 --> 00:10:27.659 show very well -known artists who have... extensive 00:10:27.659 --> 00:10:30.419 resumes and have shown around the world, but 00:10:30.419 --> 00:10:33.820 we also love to see the up -and -coming artists. 00:10:34.299 --> 00:10:37.019 And we have a program called the CNY Artists 00:10:37.019 --> 00:10:40.200 Initiative, which focuses on artists here within 00:10:40.200 --> 00:10:45.500 a 90 -mile... Radius. Thank you. Gotcha. I gotcha. 00:10:45.659 --> 00:10:49.879 Got me. Thank you. And we've shown about 20 artists 00:10:49.879 --> 00:10:53.820 in that series, solo exhibitions. And some of 00:10:53.820 --> 00:10:56.120 those artists have gone on to do really great 00:10:56.120 --> 00:10:59.460 things here in the community and are showing 00:10:59.460 --> 00:11:01.659 outside the community as well. So it's a great 00:11:01.659 --> 00:11:05.679 way to launch some careers. Yeah, and we also 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:09.659 have our Teen Arts Council, which we have 20 00:11:09.659 --> 00:11:12.899 teens in high school from around the central 00:11:12.899 --> 00:11:17.019 New York region who are participating in our 00:11:17.019 --> 00:11:21.820 our program and they not only help, you know, 00:11:22.240 --> 00:11:24.200 make things happen here at the museum, but they're 00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:26.600 developing their portfolios. They're learning 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:30.080 about museum careers, other careers in the arts 00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:33.399 and you know, really building bridges with the 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:37.720 community and with various schools. I think that's 00:11:37.720 --> 00:11:40.379 absolutely amazing because you would think a 00:11:40.379 --> 00:11:43.899 place as physically large as this, but also with 00:11:43.899 --> 00:11:47.279 such rich history and, you know, it can be very 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:49.879 intimidating for a local artist to think, man, 00:11:49.879 --> 00:11:52.500 I could never, you know, get there. And the fact 00:11:52.500 --> 00:11:55.639 that you kind of bring them in and offer that 00:11:55.639 --> 00:11:58.059 is, I just, I love that so much, your connection 00:11:58.059 --> 00:12:00.700 to the community. Yeah, well, we see all artists 00:12:00.700 --> 00:12:03.860 as artists on the rise. I love it. I love that. 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:06.980 So a visitor's first time here. Yes. Which would 00:12:06.980 --> 00:12:09.820 be for me right now. Take me through it. What 00:12:09.820 --> 00:12:13.519 can a visitor expect on their first time, and 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:14.820 what do you hope they kind of take away from 00:12:14.820 --> 00:12:17.899 that experience? Well, I think coming in, you're 00:12:17.899 --> 00:12:20.980 going to be amazed by this incredible building, 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:25.820 which was... opened in 1968 and was designed 00:12:25.820 --> 00:12:30.419 by IM Pei, who coincidentally was also the architect 00:12:30.419 --> 00:12:34.120 who did... The pyramid at the Louvre. You mentioned 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:36.259 the Louvre. So you know the big glass pyramid 00:12:36.259 --> 00:12:39.820 out front. Yes. He designed that as well after 00:12:39.820 --> 00:12:43.340 he designed this and our staircase, which I don't 00:12:43.340 --> 00:12:46.179 know if you can get a photo of that. We are going 00:12:46.179 --> 00:12:48.399 to definitely get a photo. Our central spiral 00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:52.299 staircase really was the prototype for the Louvre 00:12:52.299 --> 00:12:55.899 in Paris. That's amazing. Yeah so you're sitting 00:12:55.899 --> 00:12:58.100 in an architectural wonder right now so I hope 00:12:58.100 --> 00:13:00.620 people will walk in the building and be inspired 00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:04.340 just by your surroundings because this is this 00:13:04.340 --> 00:13:06.759 is a historic building there's nothing like it. 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:09.700 out there in the world and then I hope you'll 00:13:09.700 --> 00:13:13.340 take advantage of usually we've got five to six 00:13:13.340 --> 00:13:15.899 different exhibitions on view at any given time 00:13:15.899 --> 00:13:20.340 and it changes every few months so you know I 00:13:20.340 --> 00:13:24.580 hope experiencing the museum coming for the art 00:13:24.580 --> 00:13:28.360 going to Louise staying for the food and then 00:13:28.360 --> 00:13:32.039 coming back we want you to feel at home here 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:35.620 experience things that you've never experienced 00:13:35.620 --> 00:13:38.720 and know that it's ever changing. So you can't 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:40.919 just come once. You got to keep coming back. 00:13:40.980 --> 00:13:44.639 And this really is a very unique space. I don't 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:46.299 know what else it could be other than a museum. 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:49.059 It's just it's its own work of art. And I do 00:13:49.059 --> 00:13:52.120 mean that. I'm curious, you know, looking ahead, 00:13:52.700 --> 00:13:54.639 you know, you've led a lot of transformative 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:58.679 changes and Everson has been pioneering in changing 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:03.320 things up over the years. life is changing society 00:14:03.320 --> 00:14:06.740 is changing especially with the digital age right 00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:11.240 and so things have changed for retail stores 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:13.100 and things of that nature people are staying 00:14:13.100 --> 00:14:17.500 inside more what have you noticed socially culturally 00:14:17.500 --> 00:14:21.679 within the the art world have you seen a shift 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:25.100 do you do you do you see people coming out less 00:14:25.100 --> 00:14:27.480 and do you have a plan to pivot with that or 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:31.690 is it all been the same yeah It's, I think, for 00:14:31.690 --> 00:14:36.429 some people, coming to a museum is a special 00:14:36.429 --> 00:14:41.809 occasion. And we have tried to, here at the museum, 00:14:42.330 --> 00:14:44.090 acknowledging what you're saying, that people 00:14:44.090 --> 00:14:46.110 are staying inside more, people are working from 00:14:46.110 --> 00:14:48.970 home, and they're missing that social connection. 00:14:49.789 --> 00:14:52.570 And here at the museum, we've tried to put together 00:14:52.570 --> 00:14:56.620 programs. beyond just our exhibitions, which 00:14:56.620 --> 00:14:59.799 engage people, bring you in so you have a way 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:02.799 to connect with other people. I think art is 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:05.580 one of those things where everyone can come together 00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:08.480 and have a different experience, maybe look at 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:11.539 the work differently. but have it as a shared 00:15:11.539 --> 00:15:15.019 experience. In addition to that, we do lots of 00:15:15.019 --> 00:15:18.840 programs, art making programs, paint and pours, 00:15:19.340 --> 00:15:23.379 different kinds of classes, activities. We're 00:15:23.379 --> 00:15:26.139 hosting, as I said, the high tea coming up. We 00:15:26.139 --> 00:15:30.620 hope to do some dancing and other exciting cultural 00:15:30.620 --> 00:15:34.529 activities. arts, performance arts. We have an 00:15:34.529 --> 00:15:37.669 auditorium downstairs that seats 300 people. 00:15:37.730 --> 00:15:42.549 So we keep that going all the time, films, lectures, 00:15:42.789 --> 00:15:45.509 all kinds of ways to connect with other people. 00:15:46.570 --> 00:15:49.730 How are you embracing, because you guys do such 00:15:49.730 --> 00:15:53.149 a great job of balancing the culture of central 00:15:53.149 --> 00:15:56.549 New York and Syracuse, but also, you know, you're 00:15:56.549 --> 00:15:58.509 positioning yourself within the global conversation 00:15:58.509 --> 00:16:03.470 as well. So how do you balance that? Well, as 00:16:03.470 --> 00:16:05.710 I said, you know, our exhibitions kind of run 00:16:05.710 --> 00:16:08.970 the gamut. So right now, for example, you'll 00:16:08.970 --> 00:16:12.570 go upstairs and you can see an exhibition by 00:16:12.570 --> 00:16:16.309 an artist who's in her 80s, who's very well established. 00:16:16.690 --> 00:16:19.710 At the same time, we have very young emerging 00:16:19.710 --> 00:16:22.450 artists showing. So we have 30 year old artists 00:16:22.450 --> 00:16:25.289 showing down the hallway who bring a very different 00:16:25.289 --> 00:16:29.350 perspective to the work. So we want to make sure 00:16:29.350 --> 00:16:32.419 that you know, everyone is represented in a different 00:16:32.419 --> 00:16:35.480 way. And I'm a firm believer that, you know, 00:16:35.500 --> 00:16:38.840 we have a mix of exhibitions and programs because 00:16:38.840 --> 00:16:42.460 you might come in to see one particular exhibition 00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:45.679 and not think that you're going to like something 00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:49.200 around the corner or downstairs. And then you 00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:52.639 might be surprised by what you encounter and 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:55.340 kind of opens your mind. That's beautiful. A 00:16:55.340 --> 00:16:57.159 few more questions. I want to be mindful of your 00:16:57.159 --> 00:16:59.990 time, but there's just... So much to talk about. 00:17:01.789 --> 00:17:05.170 The Everson, very unique place. We talked about 00:17:05.170 --> 00:17:07.369 at the beginning of this interview, you know, 00:17:07.430 --> 00:17:10.029 the world's largest, you know, ceramic collection, 00:17:10.089 --> 00:17:13.750 but also the world's largest video art collection. 00:17:13.890 --> 00:17:15.609 Tell me a little bit about that. What does that 00:17:15.609 --> 00:17:19.809 mean exactly? Sure. So in the 1970s, the Everson 00:17:19.809 --> 00:17:23.890 was truly a pioneer in the field of in the 1970s 00:17:23.890 --> 00:17:28.910 when video really started as a medium It wasn't 00:17:28.910 --> 00:17:31.349 being used for art until that period of time. 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:35.660 but we started collecting video art, which, you 00:17:35.660 --> 00:17:39.799 know, new media art as we now call it these days 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:43.160 because it's kind of transcended just purely 00:17:43.160 --> 00:17:47.140 video. We even have VR in our collection now 00:17:47.140 --> 00:17:49.920 and a couple of, well, one exhibition on view 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:52.319 right now uses virtual reality and we have another 00:17:52.319 --> 00:17:55.279 one coming up in January that will be utilizing 00:17:55.279 --> 00:17:58.839 virtual reality. So we really were on the forefront 00:17:58.839 --> 00:18:03.440 those days and continue to. to invest in technology 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:06.519 and bring it here to the museum. That's amazing. 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:11.339 Now, tell me a little bit about this, I guess, 00:18:11.539 --> 00:18:13.339 for lack of a better term, the selection process. 00:18:14.059 --> 00:18:17.700 And I don't know if that's a silly question to 00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:20.259 ask. I'm not part of this culture, unfortunately, 00:18:20.380 --> 00:18:23.500 so I've always wondered. Do artists come directly 00:18:23.500 --> 00:18:25.519 to the museum and say this is how I would like 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:27.660 to submit this? How does all that work? It depends. 00:18:27.799 --> 00:18:30.440 We have lots of different types of exhibitions 00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:34.539 here. Our main program usually is by invitation 00:18:34.539 --> 00:18:38.630 and we spend... myself and we have a curatorial 00:18:38.630 --> 00:18:40.930 team. We have a curator of ceramics. We have 00:18:40.930 --> 00:18:43.390 a curatorial assistant and we have a director 00:18:43.390 --> 00:18:46.950 of curatorial affairs who are all experts in 00:18:46.950 --> 00:18:49.569 different areas of art. So they know what they're 00:18:49.569 --> 00:18:53.029 looking for. But in other cases like our CNY 00:18:53.029 --> 00:18:57.789 artists initiative, artists submit work. You 00:18:57.789 --> 00:19:00.829 know, we do a call for entries once a year and 00:19:00.829 --> 00:19:05.210 we look at their work and decide who gets selected. 00:19:05.390 --> 00:19:08.849 So those are more jury type exhibitions. And 00:19:08.849 --> 00:19:11.630 then in addition to that, we do a number of community 00:19:11.630 --> 00:19:15.210 exhibitions here at the museum. So we work with 00:19:15.210 --> 00:19:19.789 scholastics, with the school kids, the silver 00:19:19.789 --> 00:19:22.670 key winners all show their work here. We work 00:19:22.670 --> 00:19:27.089 with the organization ARISE, which serves people 00:19:27.089 --> 00:19:30.329 with disabilities. And we have their annual unique 00:19:30.329 --> 00:19:34.829 exhibition here. We work with CNY Arts to do 00:19:34.829 --> 00:19:38.549 on my own time every year. So they're all different 00:19:38.549 --> 00:19:41.670 ways of getting your work shown here at the museum. 00:19:41.890 --> 00:19:44.990 You guys preach about your diversity, your inclusion, 00:19:46.230 --> 00:19:49.609 but you really back it up. You really do welcome 00:19:49.609 --> 00:19:53.650 people from all walks of life, cultures. that. 00:19:54.970 --> 00:19:57.890 Explain to me what goes into the decision on, 00:19:58.369 --> 00:20:01.529 you know, we're going to keep an exhibition permanently 00:20:01.529 --> 00:20:04.750 or we're gonna rotate it. How does that work 00:20:04.750 --> 00:20:08.190 logistically? Well, we have limited amount of 00:20:08.190 --> 00:20:11.069 square footage. So it's important to us that 00:20:11.069 --> 00:20:14.450 we keep it fresh and exciting. So there's always 00:20:14.450 --> 00:20:17.470 something new to seeing when you come. But in 00:20:17.470 --> 00:20:19.309 addition to that, we have a permanent, what we 00:20:19.309 --> 00:20:21.569 call permanent collection, which is a collection 00:20:21.569 --> 00:20:25.579 of artworks that we continue to. to acquire every 00:20:25.579 --> 00:20:28.559 year. And we keep a selection of those on view 00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:30.880 for an extended period of time. It might get 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:33.500 refreshed every now and then. But we have some 00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:36.619 perennial favorites that we like to put up. So 00:20:36.619 --> 00:20:39.329 when you want to come see. George Washington 00:20:39.329 --> 00:20:42.730 by Gilbert Stuart. That's usually on view. It's 00:20:42.730 --> 00:20:46.349 not up right now, but it will be again soon. 00:20:47.450 --> 00:20:50.450 But yeah, we have some things that will always 00:20:50.450 --> 00:20:53.089 be on view. And then of course we have some pieces 00:20:53.089 --> 00:20:58.029 outside, some permanent outdoor sculpture, including 00:20:59.589 --> 00:21:02.990 and this might be known to your audience or may 00:21:02.990 --> 00:21:05.890 not be known, the Everson Plaza right behind 00:21:05.890 --> 00:21:10.750 us is a mecca for skateboarding. And has been 00:21:10.750 --> 00:21:14.049 for decades. And in fact, we did a skateboarding 00:21:14.049 --> 00:21:17.769 exhibition this past summer to... honor that 00:21:17.769 --> 00:21:21.769 history. And we also commissioned a sculpture 00:21:21.769 --> 00:21:26.670 by the artist Gons, Mark Gonzalez, very well 00:21:26.670 --> 00:21:29.349 known in the skateboarding world. And we have 00:21:29.349 --> 00:21:32.970 an outdoor sculpture that's skateable in the 00:21:32.970 --> 00:21:36.490 plaza. You know, I was sitting on the way over. 00:21:37.049 --> 00:21:39.369 Sometimes, again, when you're not part of the 00:21:39.369 --> 00:21:41.490 museum culture, you feel out of place. You go, 00:21:41.529 --> 00:21:42.730 I'm going to walk in there. I'm going to break 00:21:42.730 --> 00:21:46.349 a ceramic rabbit. They're going to be very uptight. 00:21:46.710 --> 00:21:49.250 And you guys are the opposite of that. You're 00:21:49.250 --> 00:21:52.069 not uptight. I mean, you have an exhibition for 00:21:52.069 --> 00:21:55.329 basketball. You can skate on an exhibition. This 00:21:55.329 --> 00:21:57.529 is exactly what I meant when I said the Everson 00:21:57.529 --> 00:22:01.890 Museum is so unique. I got to ask, before we 00:22:01.890 --> 00:22:05.420 go, first of all, any plugs, plug, you know, 00:22:05.480 --> 00:22:07.619 the website where you can get tickets, any air 00:22:07.619 --> 00:22:09.299 events or exhibitions coming up that you want 00:22:09.299 --> 00:22:13.319 to see. So go to our website, everson .org. The 00:22:13.319 --> 00:22:16.660 museum is up through the holidays, a great place 00:22:16.660 --> 00:22:19.299 to bring friends and family when you have visitors 00:22:19.299 --> 00:22:24.359 from out of town for the holidays. Coming up, 00:22:24.660 --> 00:22:28.180 we've got lots of things. So check out our website, 00:22:28.420 --> 00:22:32.119 honestly. We will be opening a new exhibition 00:22:32.119 --> 00:22:37.339 on January 29th, Federico Solmi, the animation 00:22:37.339 --> 00:22:42.859 videos and painting and VR. He works with gaming 00:22:42.859 --> 00:22:47.680 technology, so it's really interesting and combines 00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:50.180 it with painting. So there's kind of something 00:22:50.180 --> 00:22:53.220 for everyone in that one. But lots of things 00:22:53.220 --> 00:22:56.799 coming up. It changes, you know, week by week, 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:59.000 there's something new to do. So please check 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:03.380 out our website. Absolutely. I have to ask, so 00:23:03.380 --> 00:23:06.099 when we were coming here and I was getting dressed 00:23:06.099 --> 00:23:09.440 this morning, I went, what is proper museum attire? 00:23:09.859 --> 00:23:12.700 For some reason, and you can be honest, I thought, 00:23:12.900 --> 00:23:15.799 hey. This shirt says, hey Mike, you're going 00:23:15.799 --> 00:23:17.339 to a museum. You're going to check some stuff 00:23:17.339 --> 00:23:19.519 out. Is this proper, you can be honest, is this 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:21.700 proper museum attire? Is there museum attire? 00:23:21.799 --> 00:23:24.799 There is no such thing as museum attire. Anything 00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:28.039 goes. Sweatpants? I mean, we had skateboarders 00:23:28.039 --> 00:23:30.500 here all summer long. Literally skating right 00:23:30.500 --> 00:23:33.920 outside. And inside we had a skateboard ramp. 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:37.759 We had a half pipe in the gallery. So anything 00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:41.579 goes. It's amazing. So Elizabeth, I was going 00:23:41.579 --> 00:23:43.660 through the website. you know a couple days ago 00:23:43.660 --> 00:23:45.180 before we were coming checking everything out 00:23:45.180 --> 00:23:47.859 and one thing that caught my eye and I'm literally 00:23:47.859 --> 00:23:50.220 asking you I do not know the answer to this there 00:23:50.220 --> 00:23:53.519 was in 2020 the deaccession of a Jackson Pollock 00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:58.259 painting yes which sounds dirty it sounds like 00:23:58.410 --> 00:24:01.390 I didn't know if I was supposed to be reading 00:24:01.390 --> 00:24:04.130 this. What exactly does that mean? Tell me about 00:24:04.130 --> 00:24:08.329 the process. What we did? Sure. So in 2020, we 00:24:08.329 --> 00:24:11.309 made the decision to deaccession, which means 00:24:11.309 --> 00:24:15.029 to remove from our collection and sell a painting 00:24:15.029 --> 00:24:18.809 by Jackson Pollock. And Jackson Pollock, for 00:24:18.809 --> 00:24:23.630 those out there who are... know something about 00:24:23.630 --> 00:24:25.390 art, probably know the name Jackson Pollock. 00:24:25.690 --> 00:24:29.069 The guy that just threw paint everywhere. He 00:24:29.069 --> 00:24:32.609 gave me hope that I could do something. So yes, 00:24:32.750 --> 00:24:35.529 we have two works by Jackson Pollock in the collection 00:24:35.529 --> 00:24:39.930 and we decided to sell one painting in order 00:24:39.930 --> 00:24:43.509 for us to be able to purchase other work. The 00:24:43.509 --> 00:24:46.410 work was very expensive. It was quite small. 00:24:46.450 --> 00:24:49.829 It was about this big and it sold for 12 million 00:24:49.829 --> 00:24:54.559 dollars. Most people didn't even know we had 00:24:54.559 --> 00:24:57.400 the Jackson Pollock. It went on view every so 00:24:57.400 --> 00:25:02.319 often, but it wasn't a particularly special Jackson 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:06.259 Pollock. Other Jackson Pollocks are, you know, 00:25:06.619 --> 00:25:09.140 in the wide world of Jackson Pollock paintings 00:25:09.140 --> 00:25:14.009 this one was. and you can go down to Utica and 00:25:14.009 --> 00:25:16.329 see one of the greatest Jackson Pollock paintings 00:25:16.329 --> 00:25:22.470 ever made at the Munson. So we felt that it would... 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:26.099 be good for us to sell the painting and use the 00:25:26.099 --> 00:25:28.960 proceeds to purchase other art for our collection. 00:25:29.059 --> 00:25:32.700 And we have used it to do so. So it was more 00:25:32.700 --> 00:25:35.480 of a reinvestment. I didn't know if something 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:37.339 was wrong with it. We've got to get it out of 00:25:37.339 --> 00:25:39.599 here. No, no, no. That makes me wonder. I meant 00:25:39.599 --> 00:25:43.299 to ask this earlier, which is, do you kind of 00:25:43.299 --> 00:25:46.220 work, do you have rival museums? Or do museums 00:25:46.220 --> 00:25:48.500 work hand in hand and kind of sell and trade 00:25:48.500 --> 00:25:51.779 together? And also, the third part of that question, 00:25:51.900 --> 00:25:56.319 I guess, is how do you, like, I'm sure everybody 00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:59.119 wants, you know, the Munson got the Jackson Pollock. 00:25:59.700 --> 00:26:02.380 How does everybody get their hands on that? You 00:26:02.380 --> 00:26:04.339 know what I mean? If everybody's going for it. 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:07.359 Well, they acquired that Jackson Pollock right 00:26:07.359 --> 00:26:11.880 after it was made. So you would have to go back 00:26:11.880 --> 00:26:15.779 in time into the 1950s to acquire it. So we try 00:26:15.779 --> 00:26:20.039 to do the same thing now. and selling our Jackson 00:26:20.039 --> 00:26:22.880 Pollock allows us to have some funds available 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:26.240 so we can buy work by emerging artists. I mean, 00:26:26.420 --> 00:26:30.019 Jackson Pollock wasn't necessarily a household 00:26:30.019 --> 00:26:33.039 name back then when the Munson acquired that 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:34.859 painting. So we're trying to do the same thing 00:26:34.859 --> 00:26:38.720 now by purchasing work by younger or mid -career 00:26:38.720 --> 00:26:40.640 artists and bringing it into our collection, 00:26:40.680 --> 00:26:44.059 hoping that they some... at some point in time 00:26:44.059 --> 00:26:48.420 become kind of the same echelon as Jackson Pollock. 00:26:48.660 --> 00:26:50.960 So there's no museum wars like in Anchorage? 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:53.380 No. The news wars? No. You're like, you know 00:26:53.380 --> 00:26:55.039 what? They can have the Jackson Pollock. We're 00:26:55.039 --> 00:26:58.490 happy for it. It would be a pretty... pretty 00:26:58.490 --> 00:27:01.210 funny battle between museum directors. Museum 00:27:01.210 --> 00:27:05.049 battles? I'd film that in a heartbeat. Last question, 00:27:05.589 --> 00:27:09.049 real quick. The authentication process. So you're 00:27:09.049 --> 00:27:11.369 talking about Jackson Pollock paintings. Clearly 00:27:11.369 --> 00:27:13.650 there has to be some authenticity involved in 00:27:13.650 --> 00:27:16.329 this. Is there a person? Is there a board? And 00:27:16.329 --> 00:27:17.750 what is the process when you go through that? 00:27:17.930 --> 00:27:19.730 Because I'm sure that's one of the main things. 00:27:19.809 --> 00:27:23.769 Yeah, I mean, we had very clear provenance, which 00:27:23.769 --> 00:27:26.230 is the history of the painting, to know that 00:27:26.230 --> 00:27:30.319 it came. from his gallerist when it was purchased 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:34.119 several times back from when we acquired it. 00:27:34.660 --> 00:27:37.359 So we do, that ours was definitely authentic 00:27:37.359 --> 00:27:39.460 and it was in the catalog raisin A, which is 00:27:39.460 --> 00:27:43.160 kind of the, if you would, it's kind of the artist's 00:27:43.160 --> 00:27:47.019 Bible in terms of everything they've ever made 00:27:47.019 --> 00:27:50.730 in their career. So it. was in that, so we knew 00:27:50.730 --> 00:27:53.869 that was definitely authentic. But in terms of 00:27:53.869 --> 00:27:56.369 authentication, it really depends on the artist 00:27:56.369 --> 00:27:59.569 and what you're talking about. If we had a Rembrandt 00:27:59.569 --> 00:28:01.730 or somebody wanted to sell us a Rembrandt, well, 00:28:01.809 --> 00:28:06.329 we only collect American art. But if someone 00:28:06.329 --> 00:28:08.950 wanted to sell us an Andy Warhol and for us to 00:28:08.950 --> 00:28:12.079 know if that really was a... true Andy Warhol, 00:28:12.200 --> 00:28:14.740 we would contact the Andy Warhol Foundation. 00:28:15.099 --> 00:28:17.519 So, it really depends on the artist. There's 00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:19.759 a lot of people involved in the process. Yeah. 00:28:20.039 --> 00:28:23.079 Yeah, so. Did you, have you ever had a favorite 00:28:23.079 --> 00:28:25.779 exhibition that you hated to see go? Or maybe 00:28:25.779 --> 00:28:28.519 that's still here? Is that even possible? I mean, 00:28:28.660 --> 00:28:32.420 there's so much. Is there one that you just kept 00:28:32.420 --> 00:28:34.599 walking by and you're like, God, I love this 00:28:34.599 --> 00:28:37.400 thing. I had one kind of favorite exhibition 00:28:37.400 --> 00:28:41.019 from many years ago, I think it was 2015 or 16, 00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:44.900 called Three Graces. And one of the artists in 00:28:44.900 --> 00:28:49.160 that exhibition transformed this space, this, 00:28:49.619 --> 00:28:52.920 what we call the sculpture court, by hanging 00:28:52.920 --> 00:28:58.109 pink. construction tape, I guess is what you 00:28:58.109 --> 00:29:01.410 would call it, the ribbon, the pink ribbon. And 00:29:01.410 --> 00:29:04.009 it all hung from the ceiling just above your 00:29:04.009 --> 00:29:07.029 heads. And so when you walked through the space, 00:29:07.369 --> 00:29:09.069 the pink - It was immersive. It was immersive 00:29:09.069 --> 00:29:12.430 and all the pink ribbon would kind of flutter 00:29:12.430 --> 00:29:15.269 in the space, but it really drew attention to 00:29:15.269 --> 00:29:18.660 this volume of space that we're sitting in. It 00:29:18.660 --> 00:29:21.380 was a little bit whimsical with the pink, but 00:29:21.380 --> 00:29:24.299 it also picked up the pink in our granite walls 00:29:24.299 --> 00:29:27.000 here. That's amazing. So it was a very simple 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:29.880 gesture, but something that really transformed 00:29:29.880 --> 00:29:34.119 your perception of the space. Have you ever had, 00:29:34.339 --> 00:29:38.000 I see on social media, I see sometimes there's 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:41.140 live art exhibitions. Have you ever had that 00:29:41.140 --> 00:29:44.289 where someone's posing or... Have you done anything 00:29:44.289 --> 00:29:46.670 like that? I haven't done anything quite like 00:29:46.670 --> 00:29:49.009 that, but we do performance art here in the museum. 00:29:49.109 --> 00:29:52.029 Auditorium. Yeah, and sometimes out here in the 00:29:52.029 --> 00:29:55.609 spaces. We've had, you know, performances in 00:29:55.609 --> 00:29:58.009 this space where we've had people climbing up 00:29:58.009 --> 00:30:01.269 the side of the building or rappelling down the 00:30:01.269 --> 00:30:03.809 side of the building. We've had people up here 00:30:03.809 --> 00:30:07.809 on the spiral staircase performing. You know, 00:30:07.829 --> 00:30:10.650 they were harnessed up to the top, but wandering 00:30:10.650 --> 00:30:13.240 down the staircase and singing and So I could 00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:16.160 just show up and... You never know. You never 00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:18.480 know what you'll find. I want to drive a unicycle 00:30:18.480 --> 00:30:22.319 around the lobby because it's art. I mean... 00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:26.599 Well, you know, it's sanctioned. You can't just 00:30:26.599 --> 00:30:28.400 show up with your unicycle. All right, fine. 00:30:29.940 --> 00:30:34.339 Well, thank you so much for your time. Elizabeth 00:30:34.339 --> 00:30:37.660 Dunbar, Director, CEO of the Everson Museum of 00:30:37.660 --> 00:30:41.039 Art, Downtown Syracuse, please check it out. 00:30:41.069 --> 00:30:44.289 As you can see, she's wonderful. This place is 00:30:44.289 --> 00:30:47.210 wonderful and it's not. You're boring old buttoned 00:30:47.210 --> 00:30:48.890 up. I'm gonna walk around and look at oil paintings. 00:30:49.089 --> 00:30:52.250 There is so much to see here. So with that, another 00:30:52.250 --> 00:30:54.549 episode of Good News York sponsored by ads on 00:30:54.549 --> 00:30:57.509 the go. Follow us, like, subscribe at Good News 00:30:57.509 --> 00:31:00.230 York. Follow me on socials at MikeBTV and we'll 00:31:00.230 --> 00:31:00.849 see you tomorrow.