Art Exhibit to Showcase to Syracuse Before and After I-81

http://s.syracuse.com/yzBWNXE

Syracuse, N.Y. – ArtRage Gallery will host a week-long exhibit that explores how the building of Interstate 81 affected neighborhoods that were razed and changed to make way for the highway.

The exhibit, “A Shadow Cast: Interstate 81,” includes photography by Shane Lavalette and Marjory Wilkins. The schedule includes a film screening and a panel discussion. The exhibit is presented by the New York Civil Liberties Union and Lavalette.

The exhibit comes as state Department of Transportation officials have proposed a $2 billion project that would tear down a portion of I-81 that runs between downtown and University Hill. The highway was originally built in the 1950s, at a time when public officials tore down an African-American neighborhood, called the 15th Ward, in the same area.

All events are free and open to the public. ArtRage is at 505 Hawley Ave., Syracuse. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Here’s a schedule of events:

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday: Opening reception

5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday: Film screening

5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday: Panel Discussion with

  • Khalid Bey, Citywide Councilman and Chair of Economic Development Committee
  • Sally Santangelo, Executive Director of Central NY Fair Housing
  • Lemir Teron, Assistant Professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
  • Lanessa Chaplin, NYCLU I-81 Project Counsel

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24: Closing reception