SU Abroad in Florence (SUF) and the Syracuse University Art Galleries have joined forces for the exhibition "American Satire: Humor in The New Yorker." Opening at the SUF Art Gallery in Florence on Thursday, April 19, and running through May 27, the exhibition will display 38 cartoons created between 1926 and 1966 by The New Yorker magazine's most prolific artist, Alan Dunn.
Dunn's satire is said to epitomize the humor of the magazine, and many of the exhibition's images examine the relationship between American and European cultures, especially that of Italy. He studied in Rome for a year at the American Academy with the sponsorship of the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, an experience that provided him with a particular insight into both European cultures and American tourists.
"This exhibition is particularly meaningful in the context of international education, where the very essence of the students' presence in Italy is based on integration and cross-cultural understanding," says Barbara Deimling, director of SUF. "We see the exhibition as one more way to further the respect of and value for difference."
Opened in 2006, the SUF Art Gallery was conceived to highlight aspects of intercultural exchange through exhibitions of art. It provides an enlarged context for academic activity within the University, and promotes possibilities for
collaboration with the larger community. Domenic Iacono, director of the SUArt Galleries, sees this initiative as a demonstration of the "myriad ways an
institution of higher learning can complete its mission of education, scholarship, creative accomplishment and service."
"American Satire: Humor in The New Yorker" was curated by David L. Prince, associate director of the SUArt Galleries. The opening reception for the exhibition will be held at the SUF Art Gallery (Via dei della Robbia, 99) on April 19, from 6-8 p.m. and is open to the public. Deimling and Nora Dempsey, consul general of the United States, will offer greetings.
The exhibition's hours are Thursdays from 4-7 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 1-7 p.m.
