James Panero has a post up at Arma Virumque (the New Criterion ‘s blog), in which he highlights “What I Know,” an exhibition in Manhattan that seeks to bring the best of New York’s latest generation of artists under one roof. Paneo calls it a “landmark” exhibition for contemporary art, particularly for the outer borough arts scene in New York City.
Why point this out to readers of First Things ? Well, aside from the fact that “Gallery Chronicle” is reliably one of the most interesting sections of the New Criterion , our own magazine has benefitted from the work of the New York Center for Art and Media Studies (NYCAMS). The initiative, run by Bethel College, attempts to examine contemporary art in a well-informed, sympathetic light that also involves a Christian (or at least a pro-faith) perspective. NYCAMS has been involved in curating two past shows at the First Things offices (November 2011’s ” Salvation Through Sight ” and February 2012’s ” In the Slipstream “), and, as Panero indicates, the work they do is both unique and well-executed. Readers in the New York area should find an opportunity to drop by and see both provocative artwork and what evangelizing the cutting-edge of culture might look like.
