Weapons as art: 'Armed' opens at Mandeville

By Michael Oatman

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"Armed: Contemporary Art and Violence," a group show that explores the human obsession with weapons and the complexities of aggression, is now at the Mandeville Gallery.

The exhibition "allows the viewer to take a critical look at how we view weapons, how we relate to them and what we do with them," says Nadine Wasserman, who curated the show with Mandeville Director Rachel Seligman.

By Michael Millspaugh

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Enlarge By Michael Millspaugh

"Armed" features sculpture, collage, photography, painting and drawing by 11 artists: Associated Artists For Propaganda Research, Robert Beck, Susan Graham, Gregory Green, Michael Millspaugh, Michael  Oatman, Kristin Oppenheim and David Rees, Margaret Roleke, Simone Shubuck and Type A.

Several special events will be held in conjunction with the exhibit, including the reenactment known as Civil War Living History, this Saturday, Oct. 28, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., on Rugby Field. Members of the 150^th New York Regiment will set up camp and run drills to show what daily life was like for soldiers.

In addition, several weapons-themed films will be shown in Reamer Campus Center Auditorium, including "Lord of War" (Nov. 7), "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" (Jan. 11) and "Dr. Strangelove" (Jan. 16). All are at 7 p.m.

"Armed" runs through Feb. 4. For more information, visit www.union.edu/gallery.