New
Exhibit, “Our Fragile Home,” Now in Housatonic Museum of Art
By
Brenna McIntyre
Staff
Writer
A new art exhibit
that examines humanity’s relationship with the environment, entitled “Our
Fragile Home”, is currently in the Housatonic Museum of Art. The show opened on
September 5th and will remain here until October 20th. The Community Gallery is open
Monday through Saturday from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM and closed Sundays.
“Our Fragile Home”
was created by Pat Musick and Jerry Carr, a husband and wife duo. Carr
did the engineer work while Musick worked on the artistic aspect of the show.
Carr is a retired astronaut, most notable for his position as commander of
Skylab 4, which was the longest manned flight in history. In 1990, Carr and Musick were invited to an
Earth Day assembly in which six astronauts from different countries were
brought on stage to talk. The audience had translations of what was being said,
but the astronauts had no idea what the other ones were saying. To the great
surprise of everyone there, they all used the same nine words to describe the
earth: sustain, protect, balance, harmony, nurture, fragile, steward, and
beauty.
As the press release desribes it, “This
exhibit, which exhorts us to take care of, nurture and respect our fragile
planet, contains a message that has universal appeal. Based on inspiration from
the words space travelers use to describe their first glimpse of the earth from
outer space, it is a testament to a shared worldview and understanding of how
vulnerable we all are. Amazingly, the sight of our earth from space inspires
the same words no matter the differences in nationality, language, social,
religious or political values of the viewer.”
In regards to what students and the
general public should take away from the exhibit, Musick says “My hope is that they ‘will get it.’ ‘It’
being the salvation of our planet-home. Each person brings their own
interpretation to artwork, so there is no guarantee that they will feel what the
artist feels. So I tried to make my feelings as clear as I could without
compromising the work. We all have an obligation to care for our world...each
in his or her own way.”
Lydia Viscardi, the collections manager
and media coordinator of the Housatonic Museum of Art, says, “... It is pretty
cool to have real artworks displayed everywhere on our college campus - this is
most unusual for a college. I hope that
more students will exhibit the Burt Chernow Galleries to see ‘Our Fragile
Home,’ and it would be great if they
would ‘like us’ on Facebook. The show provides us with an opportunity to think
about the world from the point of view of an astronaut who has witnessed the
planet earth in its entirety from outer space.”
Housatonic student Teresa Wirtemburg
says, “I thought it was really interesting
how they tied the words together through the whole gallery. I think everyone
should see the museum every time it changes because you never know what you are
going to see.”
Housatonic puts an emphasis on art, as
put in the mission statement of the museum, “Reflection
of HCC Philosophy is that art is a daily part of life for every student and
staff member. Paintings, drawings, sculpture, photographs, and artifacts are on
display throughout the campus. The belief that the environment filled with
visual art enhances learning, develops critical thinking, and sparks debate,
remains the guiding principle of the museum”.
Musick has a similar
feeling: “I think art is important in education, but also in our
daily lives wherever we are. It was humankind's first form of communication and
has not lost it's power for connection, one to another, throughout time.”
Musick says, that she has a long
relationship with the College. “Our friend Dale Ward, who was a former
professor at the College gave a work
that I created to the collection...we brought the piece to the college and that
first visit was inspiring to us. In addition you are enriched by Bert Chernow's
collection and the wonderful gallery space. Over the years we have told many
about these riches. It is an honor to be asked to exhibit here,” she said.
