News
Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: ROBBIN ZELLA 203-332-5052
THE
SHEPARD CYCLE ON VIEW AT HOUSATONIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE
NOMI
SILVERMAN PRINTS CHRONICLE MATTHEW SHEPARD MURDER
BRIDGEPORT
--
In
1998,
Matthew
Shepard,
a young gay man, was murdered by peers.
In court the defense claimed the crime was a gay bashing. Nomi Silverman
of Glenville, Connecticut, created a suite
of prints titled “The Shepard Cycle” in
2008 that detail this narrative. Silverman’s prints are on view
on the third floor of Beacon Hall at Housatonic Community College (HCC). The
installation is sponsored by the Housatonic Museum of Art and is on
view through January 8, 2011
Silverman structured the persecution and suffering of Shepard much
like the Passion of Christ, also known as the Stations of the Cross. Silverman explains, “I
used the Passion of the Christ/Stations of the Cross in this manner – describing
his last night (and a few days after) loosely in those terms. I
took liberties with the images, and moved and even eliminated one,
but they are essentially there.”
The works on paper are created using two printing processes, lithography
and etching. Silverman says, “The idea is that each medium is slightly different – allowing
for a push and pull of emotions. Etching is a very violent medium, using
acid on a plate to eat away at the metal. Lithography, the ‘gentler’ medium,
allows for more nuances and a beautiful drawing-like quality which is perfect
for the more subtle scenes.”
In her introduction to Silverman’s portfolio, printmaker and painter Ann
Chernow describes Silverman’s approach as approximating the social critique
and sure-handedness of artists such as Spanish court painter Francisco Goya. Regarding
the Stations of the Cross, Chernow adds, “Of particular significance is
her liberal use of the Stations of the Cross as the allegorical vehicle to depict
her intensity of feeling. The entire suite is a condemnation of political
and religious hypocrisy that emerged in response to the Shepard case, …”
Silverman sees the series as a continuation of her impulse to address
social and political issues, “Over the years, [my art] has dealt with the origins
of hate and how it spirals through the generations into violence, so often against
those perceived as outsiders.” Through printmaking, the artist harnesses
the storytelling capabilities of rendered images and expresses her emotional
response to a senseless act with confidently etched lines and visceral applications
of ink. Silverman hopes viewers will react to the feeling of each type
of print as they follow Shepard’s story.
The exhibition is open to the public at no charge. Hours are: Monday
through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Saturday
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 5p.m.
Housatonic Community College provides an affordable and accessible
education through two-year degrees, transfer preparation, and certificate
programs, as well as a wide variety of continuing education and personal/professional
enrichment seminars and workshops. In addition, HCC offers employee and occupational
training for businesses, municipalities, government agencies, and professional
associations to help develop the educated and skilled workforce required to meet
regional business and industry needs. HCC is nationally recognized as an “Achieving
the Dream” institution. To learn more, visit the college’s
website at: www.hcc.commnet.edu <http://www.hcc.commnet.edu> .
HCC is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in downtown Bridgeport, less than 150 yards
off I-95 (Exit 27) and Rte. 8 (Exit 1), a block from the Arena at Harbor Yard.
Free parking is available in the Housatonic garage.
Anson C. Smith, Public Relations Coordinator
Housatonic Community College
900 Lafayette Blvd.
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Tel: 203-332-5229, Fax: 203-332-5247
E-mail: asmith@hcc.commnet.edu