Binghamton Landmarks on Display

The region’s historical landmarks take center stage in “Parlor City: The Good Old Days,” an exhibit that runs from December through the end of January in the Gallery @ SUNY Broome.

The event will include strong visuals. Within the campus studio, Art and Design student Lucy Loo will discuss and add the finishing touches to her painting, “Home of the Square Deal,” which depicts the concrete arch over Main Street in Endicott. Within the art gallery, several students will discuss the ideas behind their work.

The exhibit celebrates diversity and innovation within the Greater Binghamton community by highlighting a cross-section of historical landmark. The goal is to foster greater understanding and appreciation for the community by learning about its origins, accord to Professor Hall Groat, chair of the college’s Art and Design Department.

The exhibit includes large-format reproductions of historical reproductions and illustrations from the Ed Aswad Carriage House Collection, along with contemporary student paintings, drawings and graphic designs exploring iconic Parlor City subjects. The English Department was also invited to exhibit literary works evoking this bygone era.

Using oil paintings as their medium, several Art and Design students investigated the social ideals behind George F. Johnson’s Square Deal version of welfare capitalism. They painted scenes of local landmarks connected with Johnson, including the stone arches in Endicott and Johnson City.

Professor Groat also had students in his ART 125: Introduction to Computer Graphics course create U.S. postage stamp designs that commemorate local architecture that features such historic design features from the Art Nouveau, Russian Constructionism, Art Deco, Bauhaus, Swiss, Modernism and Postmodernism movements.

At a Glance

Exhibition Dates: December through the end of January.

Location: The Gallery is located on first floor of the main campus library

Weekly Gallery Hours: 7:30 am to 10 pm Monday through Thursday; 7:30 am to 5 pm Friday; 1 to 5 pm Saturday; 3 to 7 pm Sunday