Albright’s Freedman Gallery had an extraordinary exhibition in February and March chronicling the efforts of the FBI to monitor the activities of artist Arnold Mesches. Over a period of 27 years during the Cold War, from 1945 to 1972, the FBI used paid informants to gather information on both his political and personal activities.

The artist combined newspaper clippings, photographs, paintings and drawings with pages from the 760-page dossier he obtained through the Freedom of Information Act to create over 50 collages and paintings, described as “contemporary illuminated manuscripts.” The artist illustrated (or illuminated) the often heavily blacked out (censored) pages from his FBI file with iconic symbols from that period of American history.

At the opening reception on February 18, Mesches talked about his art, his political activism, and the Cold War climate that led the FBI to investigate tens of thousands of Americans like him who were involved in legal, albeit left-wing, causes.

Chris Youngs, director of the Freedman Gallery said, “The FBI Files reveal the depth of the invasion of one man’s privacy by our Government and the duplicity of several of his presumed friends (and even a lover) in the enterprise. The works range from the poignant to the painful, from the elegant to the absurd. In our land of freedom, his crime was to promote socialist ideals and protest activities such as the Vietnam War. Beyond their aesthetic value, these historical vignettes serve as reminders of the fragile nature of our modern day democracy.”

During the talk, Mesches also drew parallels between the activities of the FBI during the Cold War and what he sees as similar excesses on the part of the government in response to international terrorism, specifically the Patriot Act.

Arnold Mesches: The FBI Files was organized by P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City, N.Y., an affiliate of The Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition was supported in Reading by the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, the Silverweed Foundation, and the Friends of the Freedman Gallery.

David Cullen, part-time lecturer in the Music Department, won two Grammy Awards for his guitar recordings on two albums. Cullen recorded “Days of Wine and Roses” for Pink Guitar: Henry Mancini, a Mancini tribute album that won the Grammy for best pop instrumental album. He also provided guitar accompaniment on Will Ackerman’s Returning, which won the Grammy for best New Age album.

The 47th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2005. Cullen’s awards were announced at a smaller ceremony held before the broadcast. Playing a show in Philadelphia with friends that night, Cullen did not find out about his wins until returning home that evening, when his wife, Jill, notified him he was a Grammy winner.

“I was very happy for my guitar label, Solid Air Records, and the other 10 guitarists I share the award with for Pink Guitar,” Cullen said. He also had a great sense of joy for the recognition received by Ackerman, who Cullen said “basically started the New Age genre for guitar and is now being recognized after 30 years.”

Cullen is the founder of Solid Air Records and has recorded nine albums under the label.

Charles H. Durbin has joined Albright as director of information technology. Durbin brings to Albright more than 30 years of information technology experience.

Prior to joining the College he served as vice president of information technology for Sacred Heart Healthcare System in Allentown, Pa. He is co-owner of The Aventine Group in Bethlehem, Pa., where he also served as a consultant from 1997 to 2005. He has worked in the financial services industry for First National Bank of Central New Jersey and Merchant’s Bank.

Durbin is a certified data processing professional (CDP) and a licensed Pennsylvania Personal Care Home Administrator. He earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Lehigh University.