ABOVE: D. Lee DuSell
Submitted by Dan Hurley, contributing writer
The prodigious talents of designer and sculptor D. Lee DuSell and his son Brian DuSell will be on display Wednesday, June 25, for a special integrated program developed by the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the Everson Museum of Art.
The two-part program will explore the artistic legacy of renowned designer and sculptor D. Lee DuSell through the lens of music and memory. DuSell passed away in September of 2024 and is remembered not only for his innovative designs but also for the formidable impact he made on his students and community.
This unique program begins at 1 p.m. at the Cathedral for an organ recital by Dr. Brian DuSell, Cathedral director of music and organist and son of the late artist, featuring the Cathedral’s historic Roosevelt pipe organ. Following the performance, guests will take a short walk to the Everson Museum of Art for a gallery talk on the special exhibition D. Lee DuSell: Benediction and a light reception to follow.
Program Schedule:
1 – 1:40 p.m. | Organ Recital at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
1:40 – 2 p.m. | Walk to Everson Museum of Art
2 – 3 p.m. | Gallery Talk with Dr. Brian DuSell; Reception
This program is free and open to the public. The regular $15 admission to the Everson that day is suspended. Guests are encouraged to make a free will offering of their choice. RSVPs are not essential, but are requested for planning purposes. To register, please call or email the Cathedral Rectory at (315) 422-4177 or [email protected] by Friday, June 20.
About D. Lee DuSell: Benediction
Lee DuSell (1927-2024) is perhaps best known to Everson audiences as the creator of the bronze sculpture, Spiritual Freedom (1969), that graces the museum’s plaza. But he was also a prolific designer and woodworker. DuSell’s mid-century modern furniture has been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, the Corcoran Gallery and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Over a three-decade span, DuSell frequently collaborated with noted architect Minoru Yamasaki on a series of commissions that included work for the Seattle World’s Fair, Harvard University and Reynolds Aluminum. DuSell particularly relished his contributions to churches, synagogues and religious temples around the world.
DuSell was a professor of Art at Syracuse University, where he served on the faculty of Experimental Studios, an interdisciplinary studio design curriculum, from 1965 until his retirement in 1992. Benediction honors DuSell’s work in wood during a particularly fertile period in the 1970s when his works became kinetic and interactive. This exhibition features large-scale works, including three rocking chairs containing musical elements powered by their rocking motion that were originally exhibited at the Everson in a 1980 solo exhibition.
