Although these sculptures in the Robineau Memorial Gallery (at the Everson Museum of Art, 401 Harrison Street, Syracuse, New York 13202) have the ability to move and create sound, there is a big sign at the entrance that tells us to not touch them because eventually, a docent/museum person will demonstrate them. This did not happen on Sunday when there was one person at the desk, one person wanting to wax juxtapostion-laden sentences about the supposedly social justice paintings in the basement and another who stood adjacent to the skateboarding tragedy that has infiltrated three upstairs galleries in addition to glorifying its trespass of the outdoor courtyard. No security guards and nobody in the viewing room of the text driven CNY initiative artist.
Still, I was drawn to the magnificence of the woodwork and spiritual infusion of it that constitutes D. Lee DuSell’s sculptures. He died last year – three of these pieces had previously been displayed here in 1980. They are part of a series he’d initiated in the 1970s when a spiritual calling allowed divine inspiration. Christian symbolism and church iconography coalesced as part of the landscape of his artwork. There are angels and the sounds of pipe organs, the idea of pulpits and of course, the large scale that acknowledges his deep faith.
In addition, he had harvested the wood on his own land, which creates a bond with the natural world and he’d incorporated the love of his family into each turn while also teaching at the university for thirty years, which grounds his work in a love of humanity, as well.
The show is called Benediction, as it relays a sort of swan song, a “spiritual ending” to quote the text, to his quiet strength and its innovative tenacity.
I was able to realign my source energy in this room after the other exhibitions provoked me so negatively. I highly recommend a visit to see Benediction at the Everson. It is on view through August 31, 2025.
This Sunday there will be a City Market event on the grounds complete with food trucks, music and artisans peddling their wares. The museum will be open with a pay-what-you-will sliding scale, that is, if you are not yet a member (members are free).
