Robert R. Shane, a noted art historian, curator, and critic, is the featured guest art scholar for a virtual residency at SUNY Jamestown Community College scheduled for Dec. 6 and 7.
Shane is set to lead three events that are free and open to the public via Zoom video conferencing. Those interested in joining can do so at www.sunyjcc.edu/events.
He will critique and discuss original student artwork with JCC students during separate sessions from 10-11:55 a.m. on Dec. 6 and 7. Shane will also conduct a presentation called “Mirroring Mothers: Witnessing Maternal Subjectivity in Contemporary Art,” from noon-1 p.m. on Dec. 6.
The “Mirroring Mothers” presentation focuses on contemporary artist mothers who are pushing back against shaming, social media censorship, and other forms of social oppression with artwork that challenges cultural assumptions about gender, labor, and the ethics of care. Shane will show how these artists are forging new visions of maternal agency by reflecting their own experiences.
“As the event is in part about social oppression and cultural assumptions and stereotypes, it also aligns with the college’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Neil Flory, JCC’s music coordinator and faculty lead for the college’s Society and Human Expression Career Community.
Flory said that the student art critique sessions will appeal to people from different backgrounds and various interests.
“It engages students in art as well as in psychology, sociology, and inquiry,” he added. “Although it is sponsored by JCC’s Society and Human Expression Career Community, it also invites students and faculty from outside that community, as well as members of the public from the larger region.”
Shane received his Ph.D. in art history and criticism from Stony Brook University. He is a curatorial consultant at the University at Albany, and gallery program coordinator at Collar Works in Troy, N.Y. His scholarly research has appeared in the feminist philosophy journal Hypatia, and he is a regular contributor to The Brooklyn Rail and Whitehot Magazine.
This residency is sponsored by JCC’s Society and Human Expression Career Community and College Program Committee