I had a chance to see two art exhibitions in Syracuse recently. The first is “What If I Try This?”: Helen Frankenthaler in the 20th-Century Print Ecosystem, which is on view until Dec. 9 at the Syracuse University Art Museum.

According to the museum’s website, the exhibition “explores how Helen Frankenthaler, the noted 20th-century abstract artist, collaborated with printmakers in print studios and workshops throughout her long career.”

Personally, I was more interested in Frankenthaler as an artist than in her connection to printmakers and the printmaking process. My SU marketing colleague Jay Cox wrote an excellent long-form piece about her that’s worth checking out.

I have a routine when I view art exhibitions. I like to see the work in stages. First, I go through the whole exhibition from start to finish, looking at every piece and reading all of the wall text. I’ll usually take a few photos with my phone and then step back to get a wide-angle view of the works on display in one of the big rooms. Then I pick out my favorite works and view them again, this time lingering on the pieces that move me the most.

Here are some images from the Frankenthaler exhibit that caught my eye.

Monotype XI, 1991 by Helen Frankenthaler

Monoprint VII, 1987 by Helen Frankenthaler

Untitled, 1979 by Helen Frankenthaler

The museum also displayed many works from its permanent collection. And these works captured my attention.

[Reclining woman] by Man Ray (1913)

Figure Composition, 1959 by Roland Dorcely

Untitled by Louisa Chase (1988)

New Year’s Eve on Broadway by George L. K. Morris (1945)

Circuit of Space, 1957 by Irene Rice Pereira

Boy with Orange Aura, 2021 by Patrick Quarm

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The second art exhibition I attended was Love Story: Legacy Works by Path Soong + Jeff Gordon, which is on view until early January at art haus SYR, located at 120 Walton Street. The exhibition was curated by Marianna Ranieri-Schwarzer (who is a warm and vivacious presence in the Syracuse art community).

Here is some information about the artists, from the art haus website:

“Jeff Gordon, an artist and audio producer, was a New York City-based creative who worked on projects like the Andy Warhol-themed exhibition Fifteen Minutes with his wife, conceptual artist Path Soong. The late artist was also known for creating art and music that explored audio and visual elements.”

“Path Soong was a Korean-born artist known for her large-scale, meditative abstract paintings, as well as her conceptual artworks, prints, and collaborations. Her work, which often features spare, linear gestures, evokes celestial and natural themes and is noted for its spiritual and minimalist quality.”

I attended a reception yesterday and took a few photos with my old iPhone 8:

Paths that Cross by Patti Smith with paintings by Path Soong

Untitled 11 by Path Soong

Untitled 4 (polyptych) by Path Soong

Chaos 1 by Path Soong

I encourage anyone in the CNY area to check out art haus. It’s a really cool space, and Marianna and her partner, Michael Schwarzer, who is a co-founder of art haus, are very friendly and enjoy talking about art.

I found out about them when I saw some of Michael’s artwork in a downtown window display in 2023. I really dig his style—abstract images with bold colors and big text. You can see some of his work here.

I think he created this bench piece using a pseudonym.

Find Your Truth Bench by Not Miscellaneous