Spring 2023 SUNY WCC Peekskill Newsletter

SUNY Westchester Peekskill • 27 North Division Street Peekskill NY 10566 • 914-606-7300 15 IN THE GALLERY SUNY Westchester Peekskill I do not pretend to understand the moral universe, the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. But from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice. —Theodore Parker, 1853 D eeply concerned about the trajectory of justice in our country in 2018, I found Theodore Parker’s words recurring in my mind. Does it indeed bend towards justice? I put out a call for participants in a notebook project to address the “Arc of the Moral Universe.” That yielded more than 60 volumes filled with drawings, sketches, writing, lyrics, photos, montages, cut-outs, fold-outs, and abstractions documenting one year in each of their lives. In 2020, I confronted the reality of a world-wide viral pandemic and the “Arc of the Viral Universe” was begun. I invited participants from the first notebook project, plus 100 creative individuals from all walks of life. This resulted in over 30 bound volumes documenting daily lives, unease about the future, concerns for the planet, outrage at the effects of systemic racism, apprehensions about threats to democracy, and glimmerings of hope in the midst of the most challenging of times. They confirm my belief that “Creative people are among the ones to register these events and respond in hopeful, compassionate, and positive ways.” Carla Rae Johnson’s art includes drawing, sculpture, conceptual, performance, and installation art. Her work is connected to ideas and often addresses issues of social, political, and cultural import. She is a NYSCA/ NYFA Artist Fellow in Drawing, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Sculpture, and the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. Her work has been exhibited nationally and in New York City. Ms. Johnson has an MFA and has been an arts educator for over 38 years. She recently retired from her position as Professor of Art at SUNY Westchester Valhalla where she taught from 2003 to 2016. She is now delighted to devote her energies to art, full-time. www.carlaraejohnson.org CENTER FOR THE DIGITAL ARTS GALLERY Monday – Thursday, 10:00 am – 8:00 pm; Friday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm CARLA RAE JOHNSON Arc of the Moral and Viral Universe Notebooks February 1 - April 26, 2023 Reception: TBD PHOTO: HOWARD GOODMAN