Artist to visit Niskayuna High School on March 8
to discuss his work Nisk-Art
Gallery hosts “The Art in War” a provocative
exhibit of images from Iraq throughout March A
series of photographs taken by U.S.
Marine-turned-actor Benjamin Busch, taken during
his two tours of duty in Iraq in 2003 and 2005,
will be on display at the Nisk-Art Gallery at
Niskayuna High School beginning Monday, March 5.
Titled “The Art in War,” this collection of
unique photographs depicts the invasion,
liberation and occupation of Iraq from the
soldier-artist’s perspective. Described as
startling, touching, and sometimes
heartbreaking, Busch’s images reference cubism,
symbolism, abstraction, iconography,
portraiture, and cave paintings to convey both
history and art.
“They (the photographs) demonstrate the
perspective and the necessity of artists to find
art in their surroundings despite circumstance,”
Busch said.
As a traveling exhibit, Busch’s collection drew
immediate and widespread attention from national
and international media outlets, with stories by
the Associated Press, the European and Middle
East editions of Stars and Stripes, the
Washington Post and Baltimore's The Sun, and
coverage on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris
Matthews, Fox's Live with Tony Snow, Fox News
First, among others.
Educated as an artist at Vassar College in
Poughkeepsie, Busch left the U.S. Marine Corps
Reserve in March 2004 to pursue an acting
career, but was recalled to active duty in 2005.
He has appeared on episodes of the West Wing and
Homicide: Life on the Street, and currently
portrays Detective Anthony Colicchio in the HBO
series, The Wire. He has co-written the
screenplay for a short fiction film that he will
also direct.
Busch will attend an artist’s reception and
discuss his exhibit on Thursday, March 8, at
6:30 p.m. in high school’s Little Theater. Both
events are free and open to the public. “The Art
in War” will be on display at the Nisk-Art
Gallery daily through March 22 from 8 a.m. to 3
p.m.
Nisk-Art
Gallery hosts “The Art in War” a provocative
exhibit of images from Iraq throughout March