Christo's work presented at Museum of Art

Since the 1960s, Christo and his wife, Jeanne-Claude, have been collaborating on public art projects, such as their recently-opened "The Gates" in New York City's Central Park.

The project, which has been in the works since 1979, uses 7,500 16-foot bright orange panels to line the pathways of the park.

In collaboration with "The Gates," the UA Museum of Art is hosting "Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Tom Golden Collection," a series of drawings, collages and photographs capturing his most well-known, massive pieces like "Running Fence" and "Wrapped Reichstag," along with smaller-scale projects like "Package on Radio Flyer Wagon."

Public information specialist Alisa Shorr said the exhibit captures the extensive planning and work which goes into Christo and Jeanne-Claude's seemingly-basic projects.

"This exhibit acts as a kind of paper trail of his career," Shorr said. "There are plans we have for 'The Gates' from over 20 years ago; it gives you an idea of how long these projects take to create."

Shorr said people can be dismissive of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work because they don't believe projects like wrapping the sidewalks of a Kansas City Park in orange nylon, as they did in 1978, constitute "art."

"Some people don't understand the point of his projects," Shorr said. "It's easy to see what the project is, but some people are perplexed about why it is, and whether or not it's art, which is something the artists consciously avoid discussing. They want it to make you think."

Today, a director's tour of the exhibit will be given from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. At 5:30 p.m. a panel discussion about public art's presence on campus and in the community, "Public Art Panel: What's it Worth?" will be held at the museum.

– Elizabeth Thompson

'unseenamerica' at Union Gallery

The National touring exhibit of "unseenamerica" is open at the Union Gallery, on the third floor of the Student Union Memorial Center.

The exhibit is a series of documentary photographs taken by the regular people of America, whose voices are often left unheard. It has moved around the country, picking up new work along the way from those who are often ignored and unseen. Garment workers, day laborers, domestic violence survivors and formerly homeless men are some of the photographers whose work is being exhibited.

Twenty photographs from Tucson day laborers who participated in a five-week photography class will be exhibited with 50 photographs from the national exhibit. The workers were given free cameras, film, lessons and developing to "experiment with light and shadows to tell the stories of their lives, their work and their dreams," according to the Southwest Center for Economic Integrity, one of the groups presenting the exhibit.

The exhibit, which runs through March 10, is also presented by the UA Faculty Senate Task Force for Monitoring Human Rights and Labor Issues and the University of Arizona Student Union Art Gallery.

The Union Gallery is open Monday through Saturday.

-Nate Buchik