The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
The iconography of funerary art
EARLVILLE, N.Y. >> The Earlville Opera House will host an Artist Talk with photographer Frank Calidonna from Rome, N.Y. on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 1 p.m. Calidonna will discuss the iconography of funerary art.
This event is free and open to the public and will take place in the Arts Café surrounded by Calidonna’s current exhibit, “Death is the Mother of Beauty,” which focuses on the marble statues adorning European Victorian period cemeteries.
“Cemeteries are outdoor museums,” said Calidonna. “Many cemeteries and monuments are endangered or at great risk. Natural weathering, pollution, vandalism, and theft are taking a terrible toll. Cemeteries need our help with preservation and restoration. I hope that I contribute to the cause by making you the viewer of my work aware of what is out there and what is at stake.”
Calidonna’s funerary art is both moving and fascinating. “Death and grief are universal human experiences,” he said. “The sculptors of memorial art freeze the emotions and beliefs surrounding these events in stone and metal. This is often done with world-class artistic skill, Art with a capital A.”
Calidonna will bring to this experience his own sentiments and philosophies regarding mortality and beyond.
The Earlville Opera House is located at 18 E. Main St., Earlville. For more information, call 315691-3550.