YOU ARE HERE: Exploring Human Evolution

Ithaca Explores Human Origins continues at TCPL with this exciting new exhibit which will be on display in the Avenue of the Friends through the end of January.  

For centuries, people have explored potential answers to the question “What Does It Mean To Be Human?”  Scientists look to our physical history for clues.  The bodies of our ancestors tells us about human evolution, and through careful study we can begin to piece together the puzzle.  The study of human evolution is essential.  It allows us both to uncover the worlds of our ancient ancestors and to unravel the mystery of how we became US. 

The exhib explores how Evolution connects all life on earth.

It explains how we are all connected through the tree of life.

With explanatory panels, fossils, skulls and man's earliest tools, it helps us understand how six key characteristics make us human. 

This exhibit was created collaboratively by the Paleontological Research Institution, Tompkins County Public Library, Cornell University and Ithaca College.  A special thank you to Warren Allmon, Adam Arcadi, Margaret Butler, Frederick Gleach, Sally Grubb, John Gurche, Jennifer Muller, Lisa Peck, Rob Ross and Beth Stricker. It was made possible with support from Cornell University and the Derek & Leora Kaufman Charitable Fund, and funding provided by the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation made possible through the support of grants from the Tompkins County Tourism Program.

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"On Being Human" a multi media exhibit opens at TCPL Friday, December 2, 2016

This exhibit, which was made possible by the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation with grant support from the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County, opens on Friday, December 2, 2016 from 5:00 - 8:00 PM during Gallery Opening Night. Refreshments will be served in the BorgWarner Room and the artists will be present to talk about their work and what being human means to them.

Ben Altman
benaltman123@gmail.com 

Gao Guangxin  
Inkjet Print
$2,500 
2013

Liang Yuerong
Inkjet Print
$2,500 
2013

These images are from a series of photographs of (and interviews with) maintenance and other staff at a newly-built graduate school campus in Shenzhen, southern China, part of the prestigious Peking University. Almost all these workers are internal migrants, living far from their home villages and families and rarely returning. Home, family, and connection to place and culture of origin are central to the human condition. However, displacement and migration are increasingly the norm for reasons ranging from war to economics to government policy. These conditions often occur within countries as well as between them.

William Benson
607 227 3837
wmbenson68@gmail.com  wmbenson.com

Roy
Charcoal and pastel on paper
2016
NFS

It is my belief that one of the greatest aspects of "being human" is our capacity to love one another. As much as we try to be in the present, show our friends how much they mean to us and truly love our partners, life and its attentive disorders have a way of sidetracking this essential goal. When we lose a dear friend it hits us to ask ourselves, did he know how much I loved him. Roy and his family grew up with Sadie and me and our family. We were nine human beings on this earth that shared time -- a lot of important and beautiful time. He said he always identified with the crow; intelligent, watchful, cunning, practical and black. And as I consider, how far away from the other species are we really? In this way, as he lived his life in close proximity to the natural world with total respect for it, with love for everything and everyone within his orbit, he was being true to himself -- in the best sense, he was being human.

Gurdon Brewster
minister and sculptor
gurdonbrewster@gmail.com

Prophetic Thunder
Bronze
POR

This sculpture, which I call “Prophetic Thunder”, shows Rev. King preaching with passionate intensity. Rising up in a flame behind him are nearly 50 reliefs of figures and events that reflect the issues of racism, poverty and militarism, which moved him deeply throughout his life.

“Prophetic Thunder” grew out of a visit of high school students to my studio. After showing them the beginnings of my portrait of Rev. King, I realized how eager they were to learn about the Civil Rights Movement and about Rev. King himself. I wanted to show a side of him that is rarely seen. I wanted to show in his intense face and in the strong gesture of his hand, his passionate response to the tragedies brought upon oppressed people everywhere.Gandhi’s thinking and nonviolent struggles in India. Raised within the black church he was deeply influenced by this rich tradition. All of these sources of inspiration are reflected in this sculpture.
  
And I wanted to show in the flame behind him images that recall the horrors of slavery, images that show the struggles and tragedies during the Civil Rights Movement, and images of people who inspired him in his fight for freedom, justice and peace.

I portray him preaching from the pulpit from where his most important statements came. He was a Christian minister whose powerful spiritual conviction drew inspiration from many sources: from the Hebrew prophets, from the nonviolent themes in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and from

Jane Dennis
janedennisart.com
Weaving the Present
Mixed Media

In considering what it means to be human I kept coming back to stories.  We tell our story of joy and sorrow, what happened last week, or ten years ago as a way to make sense of our experiences. “Weaving The Present” is a collection of immigrant and ancestor immigrant stories.   I asked friends and strangers to share their immigrant story with me and used the details to create this piece. The ship on top references the letters that crossed the ocean, for many the only contact they had with family and friends after emigrating. Stamped on the metal are the names of ships, many of them slave ships. 

When I begin to plan my art I seek a story that can lead me in a direction I might not have thought to go.  The needs of the story suggest the components of the piece. When planning “Weaving the Present” I knew I wanted to collect immigrant stories but wasn’t sure how to present them.  Once I thought of paper attached to screen I was on my way.

Mauro Marinelli
mauromarinelli.com
mpmarinelli@mindspring.com
School Boy 
Photography
$150.00

Sacristan
Photography
$150.00

To me, being human is the human attribute of religion, and being connected to a higher power.

Terry Plater

tdp3@cornell.edu
www.terryplater.com

A Helpful Hand
Oils
$1,500

This painting is part of a series based on family photos, a project begun as a way to use photos as the basis for paintings – interpreting rather than copying – while also using the photos inherited from family members as a way to research and understand the history of our family and the time in which they lived. Most of our family members – grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles -- grew up under segregation in Washington DC (re-segregation, to be 
correct, reintroduced in Woodrow Wilson’s first year as president which was, coincidentally, the same year our mother was born). Years after official segregation ended, communities of color and low income communities in general still suffer the effects of institutional neglect and a market driven definition of development.  

In this image, our uncle is being helped by a young neighbor to a protest meeting called to challenge the development of a major league baseball stadium in the middle of a vibrant, if modest, community.  Offering a helpful hand – young man to old, adult to child, citizen to citizen – seems to be at the core of what it means to be human.

president which was, coincidentally, the same year our mother was born). Years after official segregation ended, communities of color and low income communities in general still suffer the effects of institutional neglect and a market driven definition of development.  

In this image, our uncle is being helped by a young neighbor to a protest meeting called to challenge the development of a major league baseball stadium in the middle of a vibrant, if modest, community.  Offering a helpful hand – young man to old, adult to child, citizen to citizen – seems to be at the core of what it means to be human.

Linda Price
Email: lin@linprice.com

Requiemwater-based media on paperboard
2013

The Gift
water-based media on paperboard 
2013

Some of the themes that arise in my paintings are: finding freedom in difficult circumstances; animal and human co-existence; and the experiences of work, desire, regret, and joy.  Through imagination, playful creation of abstracted spaces, and color composition, I attempt to show an inner world that is mysterious and noble . . . as dreams and life often are.

Sheryl Sinkow
www.sinkowphotography.com

Oldupai Gorge
Scanned Transparency on Canvas
POR

What better way to talk about Being Human than to share an image of the place where we ALL came from. This place, in the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania is where the earliest evidence of our human ancestors was found. Oldupai is a Maasai word meaning wild sisal plant and the plant grows in the area. We typically hear it pronounced Olduvai, however, that is a misspelling of the Maasai word. It was a humbling experience to view this majestic site and feel connected.

Werner Sun
www.wernersun.com
thecolortree@gmail.com
The Marks We Leave Behind
Archival inkjet prints mounted on board
Diptych
$3,500

It appears that humans have always made marks, whether on the walls of caves or on shards of bone or on the sides of buildings.  The earliest human marks were made for reasons now unknown, although hypotheses abound. Today, the marks we carefully imprint on paper or silicon, in analog or digital form, ostensibly serve multiple ends: transmission of 
information, connecting with others, and self-expression, to name a few. But the depth of our compulsion for mark making suggests that its ultimate source lies beyond mere
utility, both for our prehistoric ancestors and for ourselves today. Mark making, the recording of one's own presence, is an integral but ineffable part of being human.

"The Marks We Leave Behind" is an assemblage of digital prints depicting lines and textures fashioned from folded paper, pencil, and charcoal, which are then photographed, digitally manipulated, and sometimes folded again. This piece is a tribute to the intended and unintended impact of our lives, not only on the world itself, but also
on our fellow humans within it. 


Robyn Wishna
rwishna@gmail.com 

To Dance Is Human – A Portrait
Giclee Print
POR
To Dance is Human - In Motion
Giclee' prints
NFS

To dance is human. Dancing is one of the most honest expressions. The synergy, the magic that happens when music moves us to sway and twirl and rock to the beat of drums, of fiddle -- it's primal. This is why I decided to include a photograph of a dancer/dancing…..as my contribution to this exhibit I asked Sally Grubb If I could photographer her and her husband David for this piece.
Sally Grubb has been a Scottish dancer most of her life.  Sally and her husband David Grubb have been Scottish Dancing since they were both young and, together, since they were married. It has been intricately woven into their lives.

As I photographed them, Sally explained to me
"You get a terrific adrenaline rush when you are dancing well, and you are with someone who is also dancing well, with a group of people who are dancing well--you take off/you almost leave the floor and it's just magical. It's a really important part of my life.”  

This exhibit will be on display through the end of February 2017.  For more information please contact sgrubb@tcpl.org.

Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human? Opens at TCPL

This exhibit was organized by the the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office.  This project was made possible through the suppor a grant from John Templeton Foundation and support from the Peter Buck Human Origins Fund. 

A wonderful series of opening events from November 29 to December 4 has been scheduled to take place at the Library and Cinemapolis.

Tuesday, November 29, 7:00 PM

At Cinemapolis, Ithaca.

“First Peoples—Americas” 

Free screening of the first in the PBS film series 

“First Peoples”  sponsored by WSKG and Cinemapolis. 

Wednesday, November 30, 6:30 PM  

Tour of Exhibit in Avenue of the Friends followed by 

talk in BorgWarner Community Room, TCPL

Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human?

Dr. Rick Potts,  Smithsonian paleoanthropologist 

How can scientific discoveries on human evolution connect with larger understandings of what it means to be human?  Join Dr. Rick Potts as he explores the main themes and messages of the exhibit in a program for the general public. The tour, talk and following conversation will explore how fossils, archeological remains, and genetic studies shed light on our connection with the natural world and the origins of sharing, caring, and innovation. Refreshments. .  

Thursday, December 1, 6:00 PM

BorgWarner Community Room, TCPL

Exploring the Meanings of Human Evolution: A Community Conversation

Dr.Connie Bertka and Dr. Jim Miller, co-chairs of the Smithsonian Institution’s Broader Social Impacts Committee

How do scientific discoveries about human origins relate to people’s personal understanding of the world and their place in it?  Join Drs. Connie Bertka and Jim Miller, as they encourage a community conversation about human evolution that helps us to understand each other’s perspectives, to identify areas of common interest or concern, and to explore the variety of ways human evolution connects to personal meaning. They will be joined by Drs. Rick Potts and Briana Pobiner from the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program. 

Friday, December 2, 5:00 - 8:00 PM

First Friday Gallery Opening Night

Opening Reception in the Library, an opportunity to meet the artists for On Being Human, a multi media art exhibit curated by Terry Plater.  This features the work of ten local artists who, through their art, express what it means to be human.  Refreshments in the BorgWarner Room, TCPL

Saturday, December 3, 11:00 AM

BorgWarner Community Room, TCPL

Why We Look Different: How Evolution Can Explain Human Shapes, Sizes, and Colors. 

Jennifer Muller, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Ithaca College will give a special presentation on Human Evolution appropriate for families. 

Saturday, December 3, 2:00 PM 

BorgWarner Community Room, TCPL

Shaping Humanity  

A presentation by John Gurche, paleo artist and artist in residence at the Museum of the Earth

Gurche will talk about his work and how and where he does it, including work included in this exhibit.

Sunday, December 4, 1:30 PM and 3:00 PM

Thaler/Howell Program Room, TCPL

Cave Painting for Families 

Presented by Wendy Kenigsberg, graphic designer and arts educator.  Learn about Cave Painting and have an opportunity to create your own Cave Paintings to be displayed on the walls in Youth Services.  

Sunday, December 4, 2:00 PM  

BorgWarner Community Room, TCPL

Embracing Science as a Sacred 

Obligation: What we Can 

learn from Averroes and Maimonides, two 12th 

Century religious intellectuals. 

A talk by Ross Brann, Milton R. Konvitz Professor of Judeo

-Islamic Studies and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow 

at Cornell University.  

Four new exhibits open at TCPL during Gallery Opening Night, October 7, 2016

1. Loading Dock by Noah Levin 

In Progress: Images from the portfolios of photography students is curated by Robyn Wishna lecturer in photography at the Park School at Ithaca College. The work is eclectic and shows the different perspectives with which students approach their work. The images displayed include work from the portfolios of Christian Savini, Hristina Tasheva and Noah Levin among others.

Hung in New Fiction and the North Reading Room this exhibit will be on display through mid-November.

This is the third exhibit in the series "A Year of Art, 2016" and is made possible in part with funds from the Decentralization Grant, a re-grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York Legislature and administered by the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.

Past meets Present – The changing built environment of Tompkins County is sponsored by Historic Ithaca and uses re-photography – the merging of historical images with new photographs of the same site – to capture the growing and evolving architectural fabric of Tompkins County. 

State Theatre

Photography students at Tompkins Cortland Community College created these montages as part of the celebration of Historic Ithaca, Inc.’s founding in 1966.

This exhibit will be on display in the North Reading Room and between the bookstacks through mid-November.

Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of Ithaca City of Asylum is an exhibit of photos, books and newspaper articles about the authors sponsored by Ithaca City of Asylum over the passed 15 years. As well as this exhibit, events are also being held at the Kitchen Theater on Sunday September 25.

This exhibit coincides with Banned Books Week when TCPL celebrates the Freedom to Read, and, with the Ithaca City of Asylum, supports the right of all authors to write and publish their work free from Government suppression.

In conjunction with this exhibit and in support of personal freedom worldwide, Amnesty International Group #73, Ithaca, NY, presents a photographic exhibit “Yemen: the Forgotten War.” 

Rawan Shaif

This exhibit features the work of photojournalist, Rawan Shaif, covers the life of ordinary people and the humanitarian crises in the war in the Yemen

This exhibit is funded by Special Initiative Fund of Amnesty International USA in order to advocate and inform people about the situation in Yemen.

A special opening reception for these four exhibits is being held in conjunction with Gallery Opening Night on Friday, October 7 from 5 to 8 PM. Entry to these exhibits after the library closes at 6:00 PM is through the BorgWarner Community Room door, behind the bus shelter on Green Street.

ITHACA EXPLORES HUMAN ORIGINS - November 23, 2016 through February 28, 2017

TCPL is excited to be able to bring the Smithsonians's national traveling exhibition "Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human?" to our community during the holiday season this year.

This exhibit was organized by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in collaboration with the American Library Association, and was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation with support from the Peter Buck Human Origins Fund.

TCPL is partnering with many local organizations, in particular members of the Discovery Trail, together with professors from Cornell University and Ithaca College, to present many fascinating programs during the time the exhibit is on display.  In addition the Smithsonian will be presenting programs in conjunction with the opening of the exhibit.

An additional complementary exhibit What We Were Makes Us What We Are has been developed with the support of Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) and the Museum of the Earth under the direction of Beth Stricker, Cornell Professors Adam Arcadi and Fred Gleach, Ithaca College Professor Jennifer Muller and Paleo-Artist John Gurche. This exhibit will be displayed in the Avenue of the Friends through the end of February 2017. 

PRI will also be presenting programs for Darwin Days Celebrations during February.

Local support has been made possible by TCPL Foundation from New York State Council for the Humanities, Tompkins County Tourism Board, and the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI).

Details about the exhibits and programs will be available on a dedicated web page currently being developed.

For further information please contact Exhibit Coordinator Sally Grubb at sgrubb@tcpl.org.

TCPL’s presents Grace Miller White and her 1909 novel Tess of the Storm County

This small exhibit on display in the Avenue of the Friends presents Tess of the Storm County, the 1909 novel by Ithaca author Grace Miller White (1868-1957) and will be on display during August 2016. White is known for her Storm Country Series, as well as numerous other novels.  Tess of the Storm Country was made into a film four times.

Featuring film posters, covers of early editions of the novel, and information concerning Ithaca Grace Miller White herself, this exhibit is displayed in conjunction with the Wharton Studio Museum’s Annual Silent Movie Under the Stars presentation, and will be on display through the end of August.

Wharton Studio Museum’s summer movie tradition continues with its 6th Annual Silent Movie Under the Stars on Saturday August 27th, 2016 at Taughannock Falls State Park! The evening features a stunning big-screen showing of Tess of the Storm Country, a 1922 film adaptation of Ithacan Grace Miller White’s 1909 novel of the same name, starring the inimitable Mary Pickford.

Cloud Chamber Orchestra will play an original score composed for the film.  Everyone is encouraged to bring a picnic, lawn chair and blanket and enjoy lovely Taughannock Falls State Park and a view of Cayuga Lake as the sun sets before the movie begins at sundown (around 8:15pm). 

Admission is FREE and open to the public (there is a $5 per car parking fee at the park). M&T Bank/Wilmington Trust is the event’s Presenting Sponsor.                                           

Silent Movies Under the Stars is produced by Wharton Studio Museum in partnership with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation and the support of numerous local sponsors.

For more information about this exhibit please contact Library staff member Terry Harbin at tharbin@tcpl.org.

Visual Culture at IHS Opens at TCPL - Saturday, June 25, 2016

Sophie Becraft

Once again, TCPL is delighted to be able to present Visual Culture at IHS, Ithaca High School’s annual show of artwork created during the past year. 

Zareth Halaby-Perez

Selected by students and art faculty, the work represents some of the best work created during the year by some very talented students.  Students who study art, whether or not they intend to continue their studies after high school, want to talk about the world about them; about what they know, see and feel through their art.  

Mourin Jarin

Molly Swartmout

Shy'ee Meng

Through a variety of different media including drawings, paintings, ceramics, mixed media, prints and photographs, the images included in this show are personal portraits and perspectives of their school, their friends, their lives.  Text and image, symbolism, faces and places are presented as a visual dialogue of these young artists’ lives.

This exhibit will be on display through the end of July.