James S. Hall '34 Memorial Gallery
Current Exhibits
"art in motion"
Art Exhibition of Recent Paintings by Spomenka Aleckovic
November 13, 2012 - December 8, 2012
Spomenka Alečković, a graduate in graphic design and painting from the Academy of Arts at the University of Sarajevo, lives and works in Germany. Her work has been exhibited around the world, including galleries in New York, Paris, Frankfurt, St. Petersburg, Belgrade and Sarajevo.
The current exhibition includes recent acrylic paintings which explore her version of motion. In addition, Spomenka’s work has taken the form of oil paintings, installations, performance and video art.
Past Exhibits and Events
Fourteen '13s - The Visual Arts Junior Show
April 26, 2012 - May 6, 2012
The annual show of juniors receiving a Visual Arts certificate or completing the visual arts track in the Art and Archaeology major consists of painting, sculpture, photography, and film by Katie Brite, Bodo Büetzler, Chris Dodds, Isabel Flower, Eliot Gee, Lily Healey, Leana Hirschfeld-Kroen, Megan Karande, Polly Korbel, Charlotte Krause, John O'Neill, Laura Presenton, Sam Ritter, and Ugo Udogwu.
James Cole, The Quinoa Quandary: A Deconstruction of a Documentary
April 9, 2012 - April 20, 2012
This exhibition complicates the assumed quandary when world-wide demand for quinoa causes a precipitous rise in prices of a food staple that producing countries had relied upon as a source of cheap protein. In photos and video, Cole contrasts romaniticized depictions of quinoa farming with the difficult conditions of farmers, attempting to present these contrasts "objectively" despite recognizing that it is probably impossible for him to capture the reality of his subjects except "through a first-world lens."
Maria, Cury '12, Selections from the Museum of Contemporary Culture
March 28, 2012 - April 6, 2012
This imaginative and insightful installation mimics the space of a contemporary art museum, calling itself the Museum of Contemporary Culture (MuCoCu), which seeks to "explore, explain and contextualize modern culture and al of its wonders and curiosities." The "museum" consists of three exhibitions:
- The Modern Cupcake. Photos and plaster molds of cupcakes and fanciful toppings presenting what Cury describes as "a scientific analysis of the cupcake — in particular its components parts, its variability, and its physical and sensory characteristics."
- The Women Are Menstruating. Portraits of young women who are menstruating, with accompanying field notes.
- Frozen Yogurt. Images of frozen yogurt creations offering "A glimpse at the visual variations of frozen yogurt and some common themes and motifs typically explored through yogurt expression.
International Eye: Fourth Annual International Photo Contest and Exhibiton
February 29, 2012 - March 25, 2012
For the third year, the James S. Hall hosts the stunning photos snapped by Princeton photographers studying and working abroad. As always, these photos present a parade of colorful insights into the places, faces, and lifestyles of the world around us.
Graffiti Night
December 13, 2011
For a second year in a row, Butler and friends gathered together to paint, draw, splash, and paste their creative outpourings on the wall of the Butler gallery to the sounds of hot jazz and the flavors of cold Bent Spoon ice cream.
Threads of Thespians
November 7, 2011 - December 12, 2011
Consisting of both photos of theatrical performances and actual costumes on mannequins peopling the gallery floor, this enchanting exhibit casts the spotlight on the clothing that make the character and complement the set design.
Mohamed Flites, Blood on the Wall: Poverty and Violence in a Philadelphia Neighborhood
September 17, 2011 - November 6, 2011
Photographed by the lead janitor in Wilson College, who studied literature in Algeria before immigrating to the U.S., these pictures show the desolation and mourning but also dignity and perserverance of a neighborhood in Philadelphia as it memorializes its fallen youth. An avid photographer for many years, Mohamed was inspired to take these photos after attending a lecture by Butler's Dean Stirk and for Writing Program lecturer Bill Westerman on documentary photography and social justice.
Snow Li, Clash
April 25, 2011 - May 6, 2011
Consisting of work in ink, oil paint, oil stick, and charcoal, this show presents Snow Li's senior independent work for the Program in Visual Arts. "The works of this exhibition," says the artist, "deal with the clash between nature and man-made structures, such as architecture, urban structures, and automobiles. My work explores how these elements combine through silhouettes, shadows, planes, and lines."
Works by the Princeton Student Design Agency
April 15, 2011 - May 12, 2011
Since its inception in 2007, the Student Design Agency, co-founded by former Butler student Andy Chen '09, has brightened the campus with professional design and raised awareness of the importance of good design in communicating messages. The old 8 1/2 by 11 flyers prepared on the fly were replaced by artful, affordable posters designed by the talented students at the Student Design Agency for everything from event advertising to important social issues campaigns. Even University administrative offices have often turned to the Student Design Agency to communicate their messages with students. This exhibit featured a selection of their outstanding work over the years.
Butler Photo Contest 2011
February 21, 2011 - March 13, 2011
Every year, Butler students grace the college with their amazing photos of life around Princeton and the world. Dozens of entries were displayed this year in the gallery for all to admire. This year's winners in each category were:
Best in Show & Black/White Category Winner: Hiro Shinn ’14 “Untitled” (pictured at right)
Life Around Princeton: Hiro Shinn ’14 “The Hedgehog & The Fox”
Princeton People: Joanna Cichomski ’13 “Game Time”
Still Life: John McSpedon ’14 “A Green Bike in France”
People/portrait: John McSpedon ’14 “A Frosty Morning”
Landscape/Nature: Allison Behringer ’12 “Indian Insect”
Architecture: Daisy Radevsky ’13 “Chasing Shadows”
Architecture: Daisy Radevsky ’13 “Chasing Shadows”
International Eye 2010: Third Annual International Photo Contest and Exhibition
February 21, 2011 - March 13, 2011
The James S. Hall Gallery was proud once again to exhibit the winners of the Office of International Programs' International Eye photo contest. These Princeton students traveling abroad for study, research, and internships learn to see the world and its people in new ways and communicate that vision with extraordinary force. For a full slide show of all the contest winners, please visit the photo contest page on the Office of International Programs' website.
Graffiti Night
December 14, 2010
In a magical evening, Butlerites gathered to express themselves on the gallery walls and enjoy the space as artists as well as spectators. Antique picture frames were placed on the walls inviting students to draw inside the box or outside, using a choice of oil paints, crayons, colored pencils, chalk, and charcoal, applied by brush or with the flat of the hand. Some creative students even applied crumpled paper giving the artwork a sculptural three-dimensionality. The participants were fueled by ice cream and cupcakes from Bent Spoon and live jazz infused the room. A huge success all around, this happening is sure to become an annual event.
Faces and Places
October 9, 2010 - December 4, 2011
With a focus on painting, Faces and Places showcased student classwork done within the previous six months in the Visual Arts Program. Consisting of twelve works in oil and acrylic, making various explorations of narrative, portraiture, and landscape imagery, together the works embodied the depth and breadth of talent and creativity found in Princeton artists. The artists exhibited in the show were Lex Brown '12, Megan Karande '12, Colleen McCullough '12, Leana Hirschfeld-Kroen '12, Julia Meng '13, and CinCin Fang '11.
Picture to right: "Lionhunt" by Lex Brown '11
International Eye 2009: Second Annual International Photo Contest and Exhibition
April 14, 2010 - September 5, 2010
This exhibition celebrates the creative eye of Princeton undergraduates as they attempted to capture the day-to-day realities and beauty of other countries. Taken by Princeton undergraduates as they traveled the globe to participate in international study, internships, research, and service, the photographs offer perspectives often only visible to those who stop and stay for a while.
The contest's judge was Andrew Moore, lecturer in visual arts in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton. The International Photo Context and Exhibition is sponsored by Princeton's Office of International Programs.
Karolina Brook '10, A View from the Outside
April 7, 2010 - September 5, 2010
Class of 1942 Lounge
South African native Karolina Brook '10 spent the summer prior to her senior year as an Adel Mahmoud Global Health Scholar in India and Bangladesh, studying the global health implications of cholera. The majority of her time was spent in the hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh and the infamous slums of Kolkata, India observing doctors trying to implement health measures combating cholera and other diarrheal diseases. In these photos, Brook captures these end measures, as well as the living conditions that seem to breed infectious diseases such as cholera. With an empathetic eye and a keen sense for the poignant detail, her photos not only document the squalid conditions in the Kolkata slums and the Dhaka hospital but also the dignity of their inhabitants and their moments of respite.
Carlos Jiménez Cahua '08, Ciudad de Los Reyes
February 12, 2010 - April 3, 2010
Recent Princeton (and Butler) graduate Carlos Jiménez Cahua exhibits absorbing atmospheric, earth-tone photos of his native Lima, Peru. An exciting new talent, Carlos has already exhibited in New York galleries, and one of his photos appeared in the Princeton University Art Museum as part of the homage to Emmet Gowin. For more on Carlos, see his website at carlosjimenezcahua.com.
Joshua Kirsch, Sympathetic Resonance: An Interactive Musical Installation
December 8, 2009 - February 5, 2010
A composite of interactive sculpture, musical instrument, and electronics, this reconfigured, supersized marimba combines art, technology, and your energy and creativity. Joshua Kirsch graduated with honors from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 2009. His work, "Oculus," also exhibited in Princeton as part of the 2010 "Reinventing the Wheel" exhibit at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, and his "ACP Donor Wheel" has been a permanent fixture at the Paul Robeson Center since 2008.
More information on Kirsch's work, including a video of "Sympathetic Resonance" in action, can be found on his website. This exhibition was curated by Butlerite Jonathan Goh '11 and three of his classmates in VIS 392: Issues in Contemporary Art.
Michael Smith ‘10, Pinas de Paz: Panama Art Installation
November 20, 2009 - November 22, 2009
Michael Smith ‘10’s Piñas de Paz Installation shares the experiences of a ceramic studio for at-risk gang youth in the El Chorrillo slum of Panama. The onslaught of media represented in the installation was partly produced by the youth, resulting in a semi-chaotic attack upon the viewer, reminiscent of the summer experience, their day-to-day lives, and a dark historical past.
Noah Arjomand ‘10, Last of the Beritan
October 22, 2009 - November 30, 2009
For the Gallery's opening show, Woodrow Wilson School major and aspiring photojournalist Noah Arjomand '10 examines the effects of urbanization and sedentarization on the Beritan, a nomadic Kurdish tribe in Eastern Turkey, as the Beritan split between those who "modernized" and moved to the cities and towns of the region and those who continued to practice their traditional pastoral lifestyle. These pictures were taken in 2008 while Arjomand traveled for a year in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. His photo from the series, "A Plague of Locusts," also won Best in Show at the first annual "International Eye" photo contest sponsored by the Office of International Programs in 2008. More photos and accounts of Arjomand's experiences can be found at his website Stories from Away.
Reception and Discussion with Odili Donald Odita, New Butler Muralist
October 9, 2009
Philadelphia-based artist Odili Donald Odita presented his dynamic, colorful mural "Up and Away," which graces the stairway leading to the James S. Hall Gallery. In his discussion, Odita told the audience that the mural consists of over 100 colors that, combined, were inspired by the green and orange walls elsewhere on the lower level of New Butler, and the forms were meant to capture the vibrating rhythms of percussive music. The mural also featured in an article on the Princeton website, and Odita provides more insight into his creative process in an interview with the Princeton University Art Museum. James Steward, the director of the Art Museum, introduced Odita's talk.
Discussion with Erica Lord, Princeton University Art Museum Artist-in-Residence
September 18, 2009
A dinner conversation with contemporary Alaska Native artist Erica Lord in connection with the Princeton University Art Museum’s upcoming exhibition “Gifts from the Ancestors: Ancient Ivories from the Bering Strait” and the Princeton Arts Council’s exhibition “Dry Ice: Alaska Native Artists and the Landscape.” Erica Lord’s art explores issues of identity and displacement that she associates with the American experience and, more specifically, with the Native American experience in the Native diaspora.
