Fifty years following his Everson Museum debut, Syracuse-native Tim Atseff returns with a solo exhibition dedicated to a topic he knows intimately—the news media. Atseff spent nearly five decades working in the newspaper business in various professional roles and is perhaps best-known for penning editorial cartoons that satirically skewered political and public figures in print. Atseff’s artistic practice is similarly grounded in current events, but as a platform for expressing his personal views about existential crises facing the world today, it is writ large and in full color in paintings, assemblages, and installations. For the Everson, Atseff presents a selection of recent works about the continued shuttering of American newspapers—and what it means for the future of journalistic integrity, an informed public, and national political debate.
Since 2005, the United States has lost one-third of its newspapers and two-thirds of its journalists. On average, 2.5 newspapers closed each week in 2023, most of which were small, local publications that served as the only news source in their geographical area. Experts believe these statistics will continue to worsen, further contributing to the existing spread of misinformation and increased political polarization.
Timed to coincide with the 2024 US Presidential elections, Tim Atseff: Final Edition features more than 15 works from the last decade, along with a selection of editorial cartoons penned during Atseff’s newspaper career. The exhibition will be accompanied by an extensive slate of programs focusing on journalism from a variety of perspectives, including symposia, lectures, film series, art-making workshops, and much more.
Tim Atseff: Final Edition, Photos: Jamie Young
Tim Atseff: Final Edition Exhibition is made possible with the generous support of William Hutchens; Gail & Anthony Fiorito; Allyn Family Foundation;L. & J.G. Stickley, Inc.; Nancy & Tim Bunn; Christine & Eugene Lozner; Kathleen and Daniel Mezzalingua; Judy and Eric Mower; David A. Ridings, and Carol & Dirk Sonneborn; CNY Community Foundation
The Everson is supported by the Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation; the General Operating Support program, a regrant program of the County of Onondaga with the support of County Executive, J. Ryan McMahon II, and the Onondaga County Legislature, administered by CNY Arts; and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Artist Biography:
Syracuse native Tim Atseff began his local newspaper career at the Syracuse Herald-Journal as an illustrator, and eventually held many positions at the Herald-Journal and the Syracuse Post-Standard, including art and design director, editorial cartoonist, deputy managing editor, and managing editor. Atseff also was the creator and editor of three regional magazines, Central New York Magazine, CNY Business Exchange Magazine, and Central New York Sports Magazine. He ultimately worked for forty-six years for the two Syracuse publications, and retired in 2011. Throughout his newspaper career, Atseff penned over 1,500 cartoons that were printed in national publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Boston Globe.
