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OSWEGO — An art exhibition entitled, “Alberto Rey: Biological Regionalism: Oswego River and Lake Ontario” will open March 4 in SUNY Oswego’s Tyler Art Gallery, and at a series of campus and community events.

The exhibition is an exploration of the history and the present condition of these waterways by the artist.

Connecting with SUNY Oswego’s previous Grand Challenge: Fresh Water for All project, the goal of this program is to combine science, art and community interaction to create conversations on cultural, social, economic, technological and geopolitical issues related to these key local bodies of freshwater.

Running from March 4 to April 2, the exhibition includes a series of large paintings, historical information, ecological research, large maps, video projections and an illustrated catalog. Highlights on March 4 include an opening reception with the artist in Tyler Art Gallery from 5-7 p.m. as well as Rey giving a special gallery tour and taking questions from visitors at 2 p.m.

Community partners are working together for programming to include art workshops for children and adults, nature walks, lectures and discussions with the artist and area educators and researchers on related topics, special tours, a catalog release, family-friendly storytelling and more.

New York has the second-longest shoreline of any of the Great Lakes States, as well as a significant portion of the north coast of the United States. As one of the five Great Lakes, Lake Ontario is a vitally important natural asset. The Great Lakes cover more than 94,000 square miles and hold an estimated 6 quadrillion gallons of water — about one-fifth of the world’s fresh surface water supply and nine-tenths of the U.S. supply.

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