‘Portraits of a Sicilian Family’ on display Feb. 9

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“Sacred Conversation” (2014) is one of the artworks by Thomas MacPherson in “Portraits of a Sicilian Family.” The show runs from Feb. 9 to 27.

Sicily is one of the pearls of southern Italy, and its rich ancestral history will be explored in an exhibition at Rochester Institute of Technology’s University Gallery.

“Portraits of a Sicilian Family” is an exhibition of egg tempera portraits by Thomas MacPherson that captures his Sicilian American identity—where the painter combines depictions of personal history with iconographic references to art history. The show runs from Feb. 9 to 27, with an artist reception at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12.

“The exhibition is a celebration of the people who persevered through incredible hardship and prejudice, paving the way for the next generation to succeed as they never thought possible,” said MacPherson. “Since egg tempera is intimately associated with Italy, the medium allows me to depict my family in a way that reads as ‘Italian.’”

“Portraits of a Sicilian Family” was developed through the efforts of Elisabetta Sanino D’Amanda, senior lecturer and Italian program coordinator in the Department of Modern Languages & Cultures at RIT’s College of Liberal Arts.

University Gallery is located in James E. Booth Hall adjacent to RIT’s Vignelli Center for Design Studies—home to the entire archive of graphic and product designs by renowned international designers Massimo and Lella Vignelli. Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. For information, contact Elisabetta Sanino D’Amanda at exdgla@rit.edu, or University Gallery Manager Jessica Erickson at 585-475-2404 or jleugs@rit.edu.