Eric Gottesman sees art as an impetus for dialogue.
In a free, public presentation at Sheldon Museum of Art, September 27 at 6 p.m., Gottesman will discuss the role of art in building civil society and inspiring civic participation.
Gottesman is cofounder of the For Freedoms Federation, a nonpartisan platform that promotes ways for artists and arts institutions to engage in public life. The group’s 50 State Initiative has established a network of academic art museums, libraries, and other organizations that are presenting concurrent exhibitions and events this fall.
Representing Nebraska in the 50 State Initiative, Sheldon has drawn works from its permanent holdings and those of private collections for the exhibition "For Freedoms: In the future days … ." The works explore the enduring relevance of a 1941 address to Congress in which President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid out four essential freedoms—freedom of speech and religion, freedom from want and fear—that would later form the cornerstone of the United Nations Declaration for Human Rights.
About Eric Gottesman
Gottesman, an assistant professor of art and design at the Purchase College, State University of New York, was named a 2015 Creative Capital Artist. He has previously won a Fulbright Fellowship, Artadia Award, Light Work Residency, Aaron Siskind Foundation Artist Fellowship, Massachusetts Cultural Council Individual Artist Fellowship, and other grants and awards. His artwork is in numerous collections including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. His first book, Sudden Flowers, was published in 2014. Gottesman is also a mentor in the Arab Documentary Photography Project.