Student Activities Center

Among the many questions after September 11th was how the events of that day would change the working processes of the artistic community. At the heart of this issue lies the question of how we, as a people, have been transformed by these events and what that means. Although the fact that we have been affected by such traumatic events seems inevitable, just how these changes manifest themselves is never quite as clear. In some cases it may be a resurgence of social and community spirit, in others the development and expression of rage and hurt or a renewed sense of the need for love, compassion and understanding. There is also the very concrete possibility that for some people the change might never appear clearly in actions, words or works. In any case, what happened and how we process it is still up for debate.

In this show I propose a collection of work by students, alumni and faculty of Stony Brook which will look at the possible changes in the artistic process since the attacks of last fall. Each artist invited will be asked to present two works, one made before September 11th and one made after. The work in question will not be made in response to but will instead reflect the current studio practice of the artist. In this way it is hoped that artists and viewers might attempt a more holistic and profound understanding of what happened not only out there but more profoundly what changed inside, and how that change can be seen and understood.