An online fundraiser has been launched to assist with the installation of a new art series in Auburn.
In celebration of Juneteenth, Cosmic Black Joy by Arthur Hutchinson, also known as Arthur the Artist, is planned to be installed at the Seymour Library where it will remain for the summer. The work features a series of digital collages printed onto fabric to create tapestries that will be suspended throughout the library. An outside mural will also be hung above the library’s front entrance.
Speaking with Finger Lakes News Radio, Hutchinson said he wanted to feature the works at the library because, not only would it mean the works could stay up throughout the summer, but also because he has fond memories of going there as a child with his mother.
“I always loved that space,” said Hutchinson. “For me, it was the perfect place to have the show, to bring more people there in a space that I feel like really helped shape me.”
The historic nature of the library has presented challenges, however. While funding from Auburn Public Theater’s regrants program covered the costs of printing the tapestries, additional funding is needed to hang them in a way that won’t damage the interior of the 126-year-old building that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980.
“We can’t mount anything to the walls; we can’t use adhesives or anything like that so we devised a way to hang the tapestries from the skylights through the dental molding,” Hutchinson continued,” but, we need help because there are really high ceilings in there and we have to be really careful to do this right and not damage the building or get injured ourselves. It’s a tricky installation.”
A&M Graphics will perform the installation
With an opening planned for June 20, Hutchinson is seeking to raise $7,000 by June 16.
Donations can be made here. Those who donate can receive items featuring Hutchinson’s art such as postcards or t-shirts.
Hutchinson’s other works in the city include the Welcome to Auburn mural above Nash’s Framing & Art at 12 State Street and the Harriet Tubman mural at the Nolan Block.
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