Sounding Legacy – Cathedral Organ Recital and Everson Gallery Talk Honoring D. Lee DuSell

Join us June 25th for a special afternoon exploring the artistic legacy of renowned designer and sculptor D. Lee DuSell through the lens of music and memory.

This unique program begins at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception 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 in the special exhibition D. Lee DuSell: Benediction and a light reception to follow.

Program Schedule:
1:00–1:40pm | Organ Recital at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
1:40–2:00pm | Walk to Everson Museum of Art
2:00–3:00pm | Gallery Talk with Dr. Brian DuSell; Reception

This program is offered free and open to the public in partnership with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the Everson Museum of Art.

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. DuSell passed away in September of 2024, and is remembered not only for his innovative designs, but also for the formidable impact that he made on his students and community.