SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — International Artist’s Day, celebrated on Oct. 25 each year, honors artists and all the contributions they make. At The Station Gallery and Artists Collective in Syracuse, curator Peter Svoboda celebrates that message with displays of culture from across the world.
Whether the art is from Puerto Rico, South America, or Germany, Svoboda believes each piece of art provides an important message.
“Good art will stand out in any country and should communicate a power, intensity, and a meaning of its age,” Svoboda said.
One exhibit on display at The Station is The Degenerate Art Show. The art featured in the exhibit was displayed by German Chancellor Adolf Hitler during his rule in the 1930s as a way to display art that was deemed “unhealthy” in Nazi Germany. Fascinated by the collection, Svoboda said he sees the collection – along with his other exhibits – as a way to educate viewers about history, a key principle of International Artist’s Day
“The Degenerate Art Show is an incredible history lesson in what happened in Germany,” Svoboda said. “Understanding each of those [pieces] has its place in your mind in terms of making you a more educated person, as long as you’re open to it and fully examining.”
While International Artists Day celebrates many aspects of culture around the world, Svoboda hopes to see more Central New Yorkers unite, educate themselves, and thus, embrace the beauty of original art in the community.
“If they have that education, and understand what it can do for their home or business, I think we would sell a lot more of original art from the area,” Svoboda said. “An arts industry here in Central New York [could] possibly happen here.”
The Station is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Other exhibits on display include AmeRICAN, a collection featuring Puerto Rican culture and a fight for statehood, Faeryland, a “unique exhibit where artists are invited share their faery creations” and The World Art Project.
