Ursinus College’s Berman Museum of Art currently has four terrific exhibits, including “Music for 150 Carpenters,” a multimedia work that celebrates the 150th anniversary of the college and the museum’s 30th birthday, writes Edith Newhall for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The exhibit, commissioned by Berman director Charles Stainback and conceived by American sound artist Douglas Henderson, was originally a 30-minute live performance.

Henderson conducted an orchestra of 150 players that included actual carpenters, local artists, and the college’s faculty, staff, and students, in a symphony of carpentry-inspired sounds. T

hese included the sounds produced from hammering nails into sawhorses and jiggling tools in carpenter’s aprons.

Today, the performance lives on as a reproduction of the video shot from above. The video is projected onto the floor of the gallery, while the audio is played simultaneously on multichannel surround sound.

The museum is also showcasing “David Scher: The Tool-bag Years,” a small exhibition of the artist’s ink-and-watercolor drawings of carpenters at work.

“Harry Bertoia: Sculptor of Sound,” features his early prints and drawings, and “Stephanie Rowden: The Collection Speaks,” displaying artworks from Berman’s collection selected by Rowden.

Read more about the exhibits at The Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

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