New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, University of Southern Indiana is proud to present Totality, an exhibition juried by professor and physicist by Dr. Kent Scheller. Totality will be on view from March 9 through April 20. An opening reception will be held March 9 from 4 – 6 pm CT with a presentation by Dr. Scheller at 3 pm CT, on the cultural impact exuded by a solar eclipse. New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art’s open hours are Tuesday – Saturdays, 10 am – 5 pm CT, located at 506 Main St, New Harmony, Indiana.
Totality refers to the sum or whole of an overall amount. Totality can also refer to a quality or state of being total, whole, or complete. The terms “totality” and “totalization” have been used in literary and cultural philosophy to refer to the possibility and practice of total, unified closure. It refers to the processes that enable seemingly unrelated events to convey themselves as part of a larger, more complex whole. Totality also describes a phase of an eclipse.
A total solar eclipse occurs every 18 months or so somewhere on the planet. The total phase of the eclipse is only visible from a narrow region of the totality: the position from which the moon totally covers the sun. This path is roughly 9000 miles long but only about 90 miles broad. On April 8, 2024, New Harmony, Indiana, will be in the path of totality. To commemorate this astronomical event, we sought out artwork related to and/or inspired by the idea of an eclipse.
Exhibiting Artists:
Andy Batt, Ariana Chilvers, Audra Lynn Clayton, Rita H.G. Davis, Vernelle Farrington, Mary Kay Glinis, Brian Hitselberer, Heather Landry, Beata Renata Marczak, Ravyn McHugh, Rob Millard-Mendez, Sarah Moschel Miller, Jakey Mumfie, Dawn Murtaugh, Laura Foster Nicholson, Sheryl Sullivan, Bill Tortoriello
Juror Dr. Kent W. Scheller, Professor of Physics in the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education has been teaching physics at USI for the past 25 years. In 1988, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the University of Evansville graduating summa cum laude. He then continued his education at the University of Notre Dame, obtaining his master’s degree in physics in 1991, and a doctorate in nuclear astrophysics in 1994. He was recognized in 2007 with the H. Lee Cooper Core Teaching Award for the creativity and success of his teaching. In 2011, Scheller was selected by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels to serve a two-year term as the faculty representative on the 14-member Indiana Commission for Higher Education. In 2014, faculty colleagues selected Dr. Scheller for the University of Southern Indiana Distinguished Professor Award for his achievements in scholarship, teaching, and University and community service. His current research is focused on the presence and nature of environmental radon in Southwestern Indiana.
New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art at University of Southern Indiana promotes discourse about and access to contemporary art in the southern Indiana region. New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art is a proud outreach partner of the University of Southern Indiana
This exhibition is made possible in part Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana, and the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.