Artist hopes exhibit will inspire viewers to ponder "who we are"

Artist Robert Hirsch stands before a section of his work “World in a Jar: War and Trauma,” which is on display in the art gallery through Feb. 26.

With images from events as traumatic as the Holocaust and the American Civil War, the current exhibit in the art gallery at the State University of New York at Fredonia gives viewers much to think about – and that’s just what artist Robert Hirsch intend.

“Images of War featuring World in a Jar” will be on display through Friday, Feb. 26 in the gallery, located on the main level of Rockefeller Arts Center. It features “World in a Jar: War and Trauma,” by Hirsch, an artist and educator from Buffalo.

“World in a Jar” features thousands of images related to major events from the past 400 years, which Hirsch has encased in jars. The jars are stacked together to create a wall of images.

Hirsch describes the exhibit as “a free-form sculptural montage that rethinks the customary linear narrative by offering a supermarket of moveable images.”

The work used the Holocaust as an anchor and was meant to be an artistic response to the events of Sept. 11. 2001.

Hirsch explained he created “World in a Jar” as a way to “explore the workings of our collective societal memory involving loss, popular culture, religion, tragedy and the nature of evil.”

The artist sees the work as “an open, wordless story telling format” that encourages viewers to think about who they are.

“World in a Jar” is on loan from Burchfield Penney Arts Center, where it is part of the permanent collection.

Gallery hours are 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 2 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.