New STEAM Exhibition Invites Viewers to Take Part in Art

It’s a classic movie scene: Tom Hanks playing the floor piano at FAO Schwartz in Big. ArtsWestchester echoes this Big moment in its newest exhibition, STEAM, where visitors can move up and down the gallery’s marble staircase to the tune of their own keyboard. Artist Chris Kaczmarek has transformed the staircase into a musical instrument, each step triggering a sound and an image. Not all guests will know how to play Chopsticks, but they can turn an otherwise-unnoticed part of the building’s structure into the gallery’s soundtrack.

STEAM, sponsored by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, can best be defined by the words “interactive” and “provocative,” highlights contemporary artists whose work engages with science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The artwork asks visitors to activate hidden components of the art work by using apps, texting, collaborating with others, telling stories, and “getting physical.” To fully appreciate Maria Michails’ multi-layered The Petri Series: Benzene, gallery visitors will experience the work together as a group. One person propels a stationary bike, generating the power to illuminate a bouquet of petri dishes. Other visitors can now see that those dishes contain beautiful and hypnotic images. The “ah ha” moment is the realization that the images are of cancer cells, treated with benzene and photographed under a microscope. Rebecca Mushtare’s Story Quilt invites guests to sit at a sewing machine and tell a tale. Their narrative projects a unique quilt of vibrant light on to a screen above the  machine.

STEAM, curated by Patricia Miranda of Miranda Arts Project Space, is a celebratory exhibition marking the 20th anniversary of Westchester Community College’s Center for the Digital Arts. The show, on view through August 16, also champions the power of the arts to inspire creative thinking and expand our knowledge base while providing a safe place for self-expression. Other sponsors include: Con Edison, Entergy, The Liman Foundation, Pernod Ricard, Tompkins Financial Advisors, Westchester Community College's Center for Digital Arts. For more info, visit: artsw.org/steam.

(This article, written by Kathleen Reckling, originally appeared in ArtsWestchester's monthly publication, ArtsWNews.)