Telling Stories Takes Time   It must be hard to fill a space
like the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center. With its high ceilings
and panels of light-filled windows, any hanging art is sure to
be dwarfed by the height of the bright white walls. Photographs
and delicate watercolors don't quite fill the room, nor do
videos projected onto walls, ephemeral and fleeting. But for
those who feel art is too self-conscious and too self-centered,
Parsons' current group exhibition in the Center, The Storyteller
(through April 9), is the appropriate reply. While the objects
are small in size, they are massive in scope, telling and
retelling stories from almost every corner of the modern world.
Though the space appears empty at first glance, the air is abuzz
with sound and light, and the placards on the wall are full to
bursting with text. The Storyteller rewards the patient viewer
with art that has a story, a voice, and most importantly, a
conscience.  The Storyteller presents works that are a
refreshing break from art for a