A lesser professor could settle into a rut after decades of teaching students to paint, if self-satisfaction turned a signature style into a cliché, if pet obsessions gave rise to an inscrutable private iconography, if growing eccentricity lessened accessibility by the semester.

The wild-eyed snarling tiger on the show poster for the current exhibition at XL Projects promises a circus, and we get one replete with sexy sword swallowers, kooky calliopes, improbable beasts and bearded ladies.

What do visitors to Syracuse think of our city? I often wonder if I’m looking at the answers when I visit the Warehouse Gallery. The gallery’s policy is to invite contemporary artists to visit and respond to the environment with unique artwork. The exhibitions must reflect somewhat on our hometown.