Memphis is Art.
The University of Memphis Department of Art educates students in visual arts and design from a holistic perspective: practical, theoretical, and historical. Whether the focus is studio, art history, art education, or graphic design, undergraduate and graduate students develop a creative voice and professional practice through the cultivation of skill, critical analysis, and an understanding of art's evolution over time and place.
Memphis has a deeply rooted, well-known cultural history as fertile ground for world-changing creative expression in art, music, and literature. Located in the center of the city, the Department of Art critically engages this heritage as a source for its own identity and inspiration, while at the same time taking up broader contemporary issues and questions from a global perspective.
News/Events
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Check out some of our students receiving their River Arts Fest Scholarships! Scholarship recipients include: Elizabeth Rast, Richard Echols, and Chris Davis.
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Check out these awesome pictures from the previous BFA show in the Fogelman Galleries. The artists featured here include: Ivy-Jade Edwards, Jeff Carter, Robert Fairchild IV, and Nicholas Svoboda.
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Check out this video from The Memphis Public Library about The Community Art Academy. The video includes an interview of an Art Education MAT student.
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On Friday Brandon K. Bell will be traveling to Seattle to work with the Seattle Opera on a production of The Falling & The Rising, which is the first opera co-commissioned by the US Army. Graphic Design Senior Tin Kure will join be the following week to help.
Brandon and a Senior-level Graphic Design class worked with Opera Memphis to create video projections for this (TRULY POWERFUL!) full-length piece back in the Spring, and companies around the country are beginning to pick it up and produce their own performances. Petit Opera in Chicago, for instance, is opening their run tonight (Saturday, November 2).
For the Seattle Opera production, Tin & Brandon will be recreating the projections from the Spring to work within their brand new space—this is the very first performance in their new Tagny Jones Hall: https://www.seattleopera.org/on-stage/the-falling-the-rising/
More about our participation in The Falling & The Rising here (with production photos): https://brandonbell.com/portfolios/projection-design-for-opera-memphis-festival/
This is part of an ongoing partnership with Opera Memphis, in which UofM Graphic Design students create video projection set pieces for their annual Midtown Opera Festival.
Brandon and a Graphic Design Junior (E. Marshall) recently created all the stage video animations for the ABC News Democratic Debate back in September. More info about that can be found here: https://brandonbell.com/portfolios/abc-news-democratic-debate-set-animations-screen-designs/
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The Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology and the Department of History of the University
of Memphis
Host the Fourteenth Annual William J. Murnane Memorial Lecture
November 13, 2019
"The Great Hypostyle Hall Project: Using New Technologies to Record Old Inscriptions."
The Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology, in cooperation with the Department of History of the University of Memphis, will host the fourteenth annual William J. Murnane Memorial Lecture on the evening of Wednesday, November 13, in the University Center, Fountain View Suite (room 350). Dr. Peter J. Brand, Professor of History at the University of Memphis, will present at 7:00 p.m. A reception will precede the lecture, at 6:15 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. Pay parking is available in the Zach Curlin Garage (PG2/Lot 3), located at 505 Zach Curlin street adjacent to the University Center, or the Innovation Drive Garage (PG1/Lot 40), located next to the Fogelman Executive Center.
Dr. Brand will present a richly illustrated lecture demonstrating the use of digital imaging, 3D modeling, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones), and other emerging technologies to record ancient inscriptions and reliefs on the 134 giant columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall in the temple of Amun-Re at Karnak, in Luxor, Egypt.
Peter J. Brand received his B.A. in History at the University of Texas at Arlington (1990), his M.A. in History at the University of Memphis (1992), and his Ph.D. in Egyptology at the University of Toronto (1998). He studied and worked with Dr. Murnane as a graduate student in Memphis and Toronto. Dr. Brand became director of the Karnak great Hypostyle Hall Project at the University of Memphis after Dr. Murnane's untimely death in 2000. In 2019, Dr. Brand published a volume of translations, commentary, and photography of the wall inscriptions inside the Hypostyle Hall, co-authored with Dr. Murnane (posthumous) and University of Memphis doctoral candidate in History, Erika Feleg.
For more information, email Dr. Joshua Roberson at jrbrson4@memphis.edu or call the IEAA at 901.678.2649.
Visit the IEAA events page at https://www.memphis.edu/egypt/events
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Art Education major, Ayisa Johnson has been awarded a position as a legislative intern for the Tennessee General Assembly. She will live, work, and learn in our State's capital city during the Spring 2020 semester from January 13, 2020 until May 1, 2020. Interns will be assigned to legislative leadership offices and committees supporting the work of members of the Shelby County delegation.
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Lisa M. Williamson is a visiting instructor at the University of Memphis, she teaches 2D and 3D design and drawing. She recently co-chaired the panel Art/Data/Information at SECAC where she presented her paper "You May Also Like: Liberating the Audience from the Parasitic Pixel." Williamson is currently a PhD candidate at the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, her area of research focuses on the language and ideology surrounding Confederate aesthetics.
Williamson has recently been awarded a residency at the Marfa House in Marfa, Texas, for the purpose of continuing her dissertation writing.
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Please check out this video of the Central to the Arts Hub opening event.
Paint Day at Bickford Community Center!
Danielle Sierra is working on a beautiful mural for UAC at Bickford Community Center and will be having her second paint day on Saturday, October 26 from 1 - 5 pm. And we need volunteers! If you're free that Saturday afternoon, we'd love for you to come out and help bring this beautiful mural to life.
Danielle Sierra Artist Biography
Danielle Sierra is a visual artist from the small rural farming town of Avenal in
California currently working out of Memphis, Tennessee. She received her Bachelor
of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting at California State
University, Fresno. She has participated in 20 group shows and has been featured in
5 solo shows from California to Tennessee.
In 2009, she received "Best in Show" at her CSU Fresno Senior student showcase, "Utopia".
She received an Honorable Mention in the "If I Can Dream" exhibit held at the Memphis
Brooks Museum of Art in 2013. She was selected by the Collierville Tennessee Historical
Society in 2014 to conduct a solo exhibit at the Harrell Theatre.
She has been artistically vocal in issues surrounding the Mexican community, participating
in shows celebrating Latino artists such as "Mi Sur/My South" at Crosstown Arts (Memphis,
Tennessee) in 2014, "Estamos Aqui" at the Nashville Public Library (Nashville, Tennessee)
in 2015, and "Here to Stay" at the L Ross Gallery (Memphis, Tennessee) in 2017.
Danielle curated and exhibited in the two-year running art show "An Art(form) of Worship"
at Crosstown Arts in 2016 and 2017. In its second year the show was highlighted in
an excellent revue in the Memphis Flyer newspaper. In 2018 Danielle was chosen as
one of seven local artists to participate in Urban Art Commission's District Mural
Program. Through which she trained with MuralArts Philadelphia and it will culminate
in her creation of a mural at the Bickford Community Center in Uptown Memphis.
Danielle's work is inspired by the beauty found in the diversity of human beings and
God the creator. Often combining the human figure with organic, architectural, and
floral elements to convey allegorical meaning focused on biblical themes. Danielle
is currently working on her Master of Fine Arts in Painting at the University of Memphis
in Tennessee while continuing to show artwork locally and in California.
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University of Memphis student Ella Kennin has an upcoming reception for one of her pieces. Please attend and show support!
Harding School of Theology
1000 Cherry Road
Memphis, TN 38117
901.432.7751
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Check out these awesome images from the opening celebration of The Central to the Arts Hub!
Memphis Artist Jed Jackson Selected for Rosenzweig Exhibition
Painting 'Sugar Shack' Chosen for Juried Show at The Arts & Science Center
PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Jed Jackson of Memphis, Tenn., has been selected for the 2019 Irene
Rosenzweig Biennial Juried Exhibition at The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas
(ASC) in Pine Bluff.
His painting "Sugar Shack" is part of the juried exhibition showcasing mid-South artists.
The piece is a riff on the 1963 song "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
with some modifications of the principle players, Jackson explained.
"I'm very pleased to have been selected for the Rosenzweig exhibit. The show promises
to be very strong demonstration of creativity in the multi-state area."
The Rosenzweig exhibition opens Thursday, Oct. 10, with a free public reception from
5–7 p.m. Awards will be presented at 5:30.
The exhibition is an opportunity for established and up-and-coming artists to gain
recognition and earn cash awards. It is open to artists in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Artwork in all traditional forms including
paintings, drawings, original prints, fiber art, ceramics, sculpture and photography
is accepted. The prizes awarded are: Best in Show ($1,000), First Place ($500), Second
Place ($200) and three $100 Merit prizes.
The Irene Rosenzweig Endowment Fund Inc. supports the exhibition. A prominent Pine
Bluff native, Irene Rosenzweig (1903-1997) was an accomplished scholar and educator.
She tutored President Franklin D. Roosevelt's family during their time in the White
House.
This year's juror is Joseph Givens, a faculty member of the Louisiana State University
College of Art & Design, and assistant director of LSU's Ronald E. McNair Scholars
Research Program.
The exhibition runs through Jan. 4, 2020. For more information, visit asc701.org/rosenzweig.
About The Artist
Jed Jackson has taught painting, art history, art theory and criticism at the university
and college level for 40 years. He is a professor of painting at The University of
Memphis, where he was chair of the art department from 1999-2006. Jackson is the author
of the book "Art: A Comparative Study."
Jackson's landscape and figurative oil paintings embody realism with a distinctive
twist. Gleaning inspiration from fashion magazines, movies, the literary world and
other 20th-century cultural sources, Jackson incorporates these images and ideas with
a keen sense of color to create paintings that are simultaneously rich in content
and aesthetically dynamic.
He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.,
in 1980, and his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Memphis College of Art in 1977.
Jackson's work can be viewed on his website, jedjackson.com.
About ASC
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St. in Pine Bluff, is
accredited with the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). ASC presents programming in
the visual arts, performing arts, and the sciences through exhibits, performances,
classes and local partnerships. Gallery admission is free. ASC is open Tuesday–Friday,
10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Support for ASC is provided in part by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the
Department of Arkansas Heritage, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Pine
Bluff Advertising & Promotion Commission. For more information, visit asc701.org or call 870-536-3375.
Link to image: https://drive.google.com/open?id=17TYoRpt_c5EIIAYbLLJqiUv1aUfueCYH
Jackson, Jed - Sugar Shack — "Sugar Shack" by Jed Jackson of Memphis, Tenn.; oil on wood, 28 inches by 28 inches;
2016. Jackson's piece is among the works selected for the 2019 Irene Rosenzweig Biennial
Juried Exhibition at The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (ASC) in Pine
Bluff, Ark. The exhibition runs Oct. 10, 2019, through Jan. 4, 2020.
Third Annual IEAA Alumnae/Alumni Lecture
"The God of Confusion? An Examination of Seth in New Kingdom Expressions of Royal Ideology"
The Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology will host the third annual IEAA Alumnae/Alumni Lecture on Thursday, Sept. 26, in the Art & Communications Building, room 310. Dr. Annie Shanley, Assistant Registrar of the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, will present at 7:00 p.m. A reception will precede the lecture, at 6:15 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. Pay parking is available in the Innovation Garage (Lot 40), located next to the Fogelman Executive Center.
Dr. Shanley will present on the fascinating topic of the ancient Egyptian god Seth, who is often described as a god of chaos and confusion. Egyptian deities are ubiquitous in ancient art and texts. Modern audiences, however, tend to discuss the gods using broad generalizations that fail to capture their complex natures. The god who has suffered most from this is Seth. In an effort to understand Seth's true nature as viewed by the ancient Egyptians themselves, Dr. Shanley has re-examined original source material from royal monuments of the New Kingdom. Her new analysis offers fresh insights to our understanding of the special relationship between the kings and the gods — a relationship based on reciprocity.
Dr. Shanley received her M.A. in Art History, with a concentration in Egyptian Art and Archaeology, at the University of Memphis in 2007, and her Ph.D. in Egyptian Art from Emory University in 2015. Her dissertation focused on the use of the god Seth in the New Kingdom. Her other research interests include ancient Egyptian glass, faience, and metal production, as well as provenance studies, which concerns the tracking of the history of an object's ownership. Dr. Shanley has worked at several sites in Egypt, including the tomb of Parennefer at Luxor and the palace of Amenhotep III at Malqata as a member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Joint Expedition.
For more information, email Dr. Joshua Roberson at jrbrson4@memphis.edu
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Our very own Casey Hilder has written an awesome article about the opening of the Central to the Arts Hub. This building is the newest addition to the Central Avenue Arts Corridor. A launch celebration is scheduled for October 5th. Please check out the article here.
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Tom Bailey of the Daily Memphian has written a wonderful article about the addition of the Scheidt Family Music Center and the newly renovated Central to the Arts Hub to the Central Avenue Arts Corridor. There will be an afternoon-long celebration on October 5th. Please check out the Daily Memphian article here.
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September 21, 2019
8AM - 2PM
2126 Stateline Rd, Southaven MS 38671
Toni Roberts, a former Masters of Fine Arts graduate, has recently opened a contemporary gallery in Northwest Mississippi! The inaugural group show will feature: Holt Brasher, Vanessa Gonzalez, Kelly Cook-Harmon,Katie Maish, Lacy Mitcham, Christen Parker, and Felicia Wheeler.
Please come out and show support for this awesome, new popup gallery.
Nutgrass Website
Nutgrass Instagram
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The hard work of University of Memphis graphic design professor Brandon Bell and undergraduate
student Marshall is being spotlighted in a recent article for the Daily Memphian,
written by Jane Roberts.
Check it out here!
Hamlett Dobbins: Let it Last
David Lusk Gallery
Friday, September 6
This September Hamlett Dobbins returns to David Lusk Gallery Memphis. His solo exhibition titled, "Let it Last" continues his eighteen-year practice of using abstraction to detail his experiences with different people and places.
Often described as a "painter's painter" Dobbins approach to painting is complex and labor intensive. Known for his use of expert color and texture Dobbins uses painting as a means to illustrate the unnamable. Titling his work with the initials of friends and family, each piece reflects complexities unique to the individuals involved.
Dobbins states, "For years my paintings have been based on moments when I experience a great joy, this show is a continuation of that process. Specifically, the work for this show draws on recent experiences as well as some distant experiences that I am only now coming around to realizing through the process of paintings."
Tennessee native Hamlett Dobbins received his BA in Painting from University of Memphis and his MA and MFA from the University of Iowa. He currently lives and works in Memphis, where he teaches full time at the University of Memphis.
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Dr. Bryna Bobick and her students took part in The Memory Project during the 2019 Spring Semester. This projects goal was for young artists to create portraits from pictures of children in Pakistan and to then send the finished portraits back. The video below truly captures their excitement when they received the portraits.
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Brandon K. Bell, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, will be working with Graphic Design student Marshall and ABC News to produce the screen graphics for the next Democratic Debates in Houston. It will be aired live on Sept 12 & 13.
It involves creating animations for 13 screens around the physical set, which includes surfaces along the ceiling, the sides of the room, the moderators' desk, each candidate's podium, the stage wings, and the candidate backdrop itself. We'll be using projection as well as LED.
Please be sure to tune in and support Brandon, Marshall and the University of Memphis!
Our CHOICES Closing Reception
September 6th from 6-8PM
Our CHOICES Facebook Page
Amid a terrifying time for people having their rights threatened, Our CHOICES is here to create an environment where we can come together in solidarity and raise hope. Hope for a future unaccompanied by a constant threat to our reproductive rights. This exhibition will help express our voices, concerns, desires, and fears. Enough is enough and together we are stronger. By speaking out and raising awareness we will develop a future in which we are equal. This exhibition is here to raise awareness and funding for our rights.
For more information, please contact Tawny Skye at femmepots@gmail.com
Peace and Justice Festival Open Call
Open through October 15th
Applicants notified by November 1st
Festival is November 16th at Wiseacre time is TBD
The Mid-South Peace and Justice Center is an organization that has been devoted to our community since 1982. Prompted by an intersectional range of social and economic issues, MSJPC launched to educate and train community leaders to work towards a world with racial, economic, environmental, and social justice. MSJPC has devoted themselves to helping the needs of communities struck by poverty and address the root causes of injustice in Memphis. Due to an unexpected cut in grants and funding alongside the usual dip in Summer contributions, MSJPC is having a difficult time fighting injustice. Despite cutting costs, employees have had to drop to part-time so that they can continue serving our community. Their devotion to Memphis and everyone within it should not come with any added struggles.
As artists I find we have a wonderful contribution to make to organizations like this and to the movement toward social justice. We can provide events that raise money for these causes while simultaneously bringing awareness to organizations that are working to repair these injustices. The Peace and Justice Festival has been created to help contribute in the sensational manner us artists are good at. By participating you are:
-giving funding to the incredible organization MSPJC through your booth fee
-spreading the word about the organization and bringing people into the cause through
your art and social media
-encouraging other's in the community to find a way to provide to important causes
through their means
***The booth fees are $50.00 sent through venmo, paypal, or cash app. You will have one week after being accepted to get this to me. There is also an option to donate an art piece or basket to our raffle which can take up to $20.00 off of your booth fee depending on the cash value of your donation.
***The deadline to apple is October 15th and those accepted will be notified by November 1st
***The event will be held at Wiseacre Brewing Co. on November 16th. Times are TBD and I will post those as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the event, please contact Tawny Skye at femmepots@gmail.com
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David Horan and his study abroad students took some great pictures during their stay in Medway, England with University of Kent. Check them out here:
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Ella Kennin is a Memphis native who comes from a family of artists and has been making art from a young age. Ella is interested in realistic portraiture, juxtaposing realism with simplicity. She tries to broach social issues with her art such as climate change by showing humanities relationship and dependence on nature. Ella's biggest influences are her grandmother, sister, art teachers and the work of Chuck Close.
Ella believes that art can help facilitate conversation. She fondly recalls a meeting with a curious stranger while she was working and how her art helped foster a long and thoughtful conversation. Ella would like for people to be able to see the hard work that goes into creating art. One solution she has for this is utilizing interactive art to give people a behind the scene look at the developmental process of creating art.
Ella aspires to open a shop where she can combine functional furniture design with sculptural aesthetics. Her shop would also be a place where artists could gather, collaborate and share. Ella has an upcoming show "Kick Out the Lights" at L Ross Gallery on July 24th!
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Charis, Jeremi and Amani discuss their appreciation of the Alternative Photographic Processes class offered during Fall semesters. The class teaches students the printing processes of anthotype, Van Dyke Brown, cyanotype, and salt printing along with making their own pinhole camera.
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The Dixon Art Camp presents some of the talented work done by their 2019 campers!
Ashunti Crawford next to their display for Garden Family Day.
Breanna Mansel next to their display for Space Out Family Night.
Imani Williams next to their display for Jazzy Family Day.
Kamiya Mitchell next to their display for More than Words Family Day.
Daria Davis (instructor) with her Dixon 2019 Campers.
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Moppet remains up at Elephant Gallery through March.
"Amelia Briggs' work eludes comparison. The Nashville-based artist is best known for
sculptural abstract paintings she calls "inflatables" — bulgy, candy-colored fusions
of panel, pillow stuffing, fabric and paint that look like they might possess the
unusual physical properties of Silly Putty..."
-Melinda Baker in the Tennessean
"To a certain generation, Amelia Briggs' work will bring immediate and powerful associations.
I'm thinking those of us who grew up in the late '80s and early '90s, the elder millennials
and the Gen X kid sisters, for whom She-Ra and Puffalumps and Popples bring waves
of Malibu Musk-scented nostalgia..."
-Laura Hutson Hunter in the Nashville Scene
U of M's Egyptian Institute Will Host February 28 Lecture: "The Priest, the Prince, and the Pasha: The Life and Afterlife of an Ancient Egyptian Sculpture"
The Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology will host the sixteenth annual Legacy
of Egypt Lecture on Thursday, February 28, in the Rose Theatre South Lobby (room 115).
Dr. Lawrence M. Berman, Senior Curator of Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern
Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, will present at 7:00 p.m. A reception will
precede the lecture, at 6:15 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. Pay
parking is available in the Zach Curlin garage, adjacent to the Rose Theater.
Dr. Berman will be speaking on one of the treasures of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston—a
small head of an old man, broken off from a statue and carved from a grey-green hard
stone known as graywacke. Referred to as the "Green Head," this masterful portrait
of a shaven-headed Egyptian priest has a remarkable modern history, reaching back
to the beginnings of Egyptian archaeology. The successive stages of that history and
the colorful individuals involved offer a fascinating glimpse into the reception of
Egyptian art in the modern era.
Dr. Berman received his Ph.D. in Egyptology from Yale University. Before joining the staff of the MFA in 1999, he served as Curator of Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Dr. Berman has taught at Yale, Case Western Reserve University, and Harvard University. From 2005–2009, he participated in the Pacific Lutheran University Valley of the Kings Project. He is a frequent lecturer and the author of numerous books and scholarly articles, including most recently Photographs from the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition.
For more information, contact Dr. Joshua Roberson at jrbrson4@memphis.edu or call the IEAA at 901.678.2555.
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Ancient Egypt Family Day with the IEAA
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Español
Ancient Egypt Family Day with the Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology, will be held on Saturday, February 16, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
This fun-filled day will be held at the Art Museum of the University of Memphis, in the lobby of the Communication and Fine Arts Building.
Travel back in time for a day and explore the wonders of ancient Egypt right here in Memphis, Tennessee! Write your name in hieroglyphs, color a mask while learning about ancient Egyptian gods, make your own copy of an ancient Egyptian amulet, and much more.
See real ancient Egyptian artifacts in the Egyptian Gallery and meet students and Egyptologists of the IEAA. Guided tours of the Egyptian collection will be offered.
There will be lots of fun and interesting activities for all!
Sign up for our School for Scribes, an intensive, hour-long session where you will
learn more about ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Class size in the "School for Scribes"
is limited, so please call 901.678.2649 to reserve your place.
Scribes must be 10 years of age or older. Adults are welcome.
IEAA Family Day is FREE and Open to the public.
For information or to make group reservations, call 901.678.2649.
Click here to download a printable color copy of the Family Day 2019 flyer for the event.
This Family Day is dedicated to the memory of Doris Layne (standing center), friend, supporter and colleague.
Graduate students Eric McCann (left) and Sarah Pitt Kaplan (right), along with the late Doris Layne, show kids and their parents how to "Write Your Name in Hieroglyphs".
Hamlett Dobbins's "I Will Have to Tell You Everything" opens at Whitespace in Atlanta
The University of Memphis alum (BFA 1993) and Foundations Instructor has a one person show up at Whitespace in Atlanta and is also showing some collaborations with Tad Lauritzen Wright (they call themselves Mellow Mountain Coalition) in Whitespec. The exhibitions run from January 11, 2019 through February 9, 2019.
Hamlett Dobbins uses painting and abstraction to process experiences of pure consciousness.
He has often been described as a "painter's painter" for his approach to shape and
form, complex surface layering and adept color orchestration. His obsession with structure,
texture and play began with his love of Legos as a child. Constructing images from
basic shapes and colors allowed him to connect with his experiences in a physical
way, discovering truths and narrating meaning behind once indescribable sensations.
Since 2002, his paintings have been based on specific memories with family and friends.
In
the studio, Dobbins translates these experiences into compositions with palettes,
parameters and complexities
unique to the individual involved, denoted by the series of initials in their titles.
Reflecting raw emotional energy, his paintings inspire the viewer to move from simply
seeing to deeper perception and mindfulness.
In the spring of 2008 Hamlett Dobbins and Tad Lauritzen Wright bought two nice, big Holbein sketchbooks to share. In the spirit of friendship they traded these books back and forth for many years. One of them would start a drawing, laying down a riff, and the other would respond following the other's lead. From time to time they would meet in Hamlett's studio to paint and visit. In 2010 Mellow Mountain Coalition was included in a group show of collaborative work, We Like Each Other, at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska and in 2013 they were in Co-lab at Kevin Mitchell's Nu Gallery on Broad and in All My Rowdy Friends at Mark Nowell's Rozelle Warehouse. That same year Mellow Mountain Coalition were shown at the Leu Art Gallery at Belmont University in Nashville. The show at Georgia's Whitespec contains their most recent work.
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Art Education Video: Fall of 2018
CNN Highlights Photography of U of M Art Graduate
"A graduate of the University of Memphis' Department of Art has published a book of her photography and been featured on CNN.com, and her band, PIMO, has released its first album.
"Experimental Relationship Vol. 1"
Pixy Liao earned a masters of fine arts in photography from the U of M and now lives
and works in Brooklyn. Her book, "Experimental Relationship Vol.1," was published
in 2017 and is the focus of a CNN story this month, "'I was much more dominant': Pixy
Liao's surreal photography disrupts relationship stereotypes," by Christina Catherine
Martinez.
Last month, Time named Liao's book to its list of the 25 best photobooks of 2018.
Liao admits to having "culture shock" when she first came to the U of M, she told Martinez. In her photography, "She tried landscapes and self-portraiture, using the camera to process her new environment, which differed greatly from her hometown of Shanghai. Her early work in Memphis betrays a shared sensibility with midcentury photographers like William Eggleston and Stephen Shore; and a keen interest in the everyday people and ancillary details that characterize the American South."
Her book contains 77 photographs of her relationship with her boyfriend that CNN describes as "a series of bizarre and tender poses."
Examples of Liao's extensive gallery of photography can be found at her website, pixyliao.com.
— Phillip Tutor, CCFA media coordinator, potutor@memphis.edu"
For more information, click here!
NATALIE EDDINGS: PRESS
On view: November 16 - December 7, 2018
Opening reception: November 16, 5-7 PM
Fogleman Galleries of Art
Above: Natalie Eddings, Ode to Ethiopianism, 2018. Giclée photographic print, 36 x 24 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Press, the first solo exhibition of University of Memphis alumna Natalie Eddings (BFA, 2018), is a vicarious navigation of intergenerational racial trauma and minority stress—where it comes from, what it looks like, and how, perhaps, we deal with it. The exhibition observes collisions of the term "press"—of the past and the present, formalized in the bodies and souls of oppressed peoples featured in Eddings' layered photographic portraits.
In the exhibition, Eddings creates a dichotomy of the word "press." On one hand, she interprets it as the press, or media coverage, journalism, and the distribution of news. This understanding of "press" is described, in part, by the First Amendment of the Constitution. On the other hand, she considers "press" as a root word derived from the Latin "pressare" which means to press down, hold fast or hold down, cover, crowd, compress--the basis of such words as impress, depress, oppress, suppress, repress, and others. She ascribes this understanding of the word to the essential nature of oppressed peoples.
Faculty in the UofM Department of Art selected Eddings from the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts classes for this prestigious solo exhibition. An annual tradition, this exhibition provides an outstanding graduate with the opportunity to present a body of work as well as develop and execute an exhibition concept with Fogelman Galleries staff.
KAITLYN DUNN: ABSORPTION
On view: November 16 - December 7, 2018
Opening reception: November 16, 5-7 PM
Fogleman Galleries of Art
Above: Kaitlyn Dunn, Untitled from the "Absorption" series, 2018. Inkjet print on metallic paper mounted on sintra. Courtesy of the artist.
Absorption, the MFA thesis exhibition of Kaitlyn Dunn, explores the psychology and physiology of architecture, light, and space. The installation is a multi-sensory environment of video projection, photography, audio, and light. Panoramic photographs present an unbroken view of the region outlying the city limits in the South.
Consisting of heavy shadows with bright spotlights of color, the photographs of decaying and overgrown landscapes are bejeweled with light, creating psychological tension. While there is little human presence in the images, evidence of humanity is displayed through traces left behind such as man-made buildings and the light trails of cars and planes. The use of night photography, high contrast, and vivid colors accentuate the sense of isolation and apprehension enhanced by humanity's innate fear of the dark.
Remy Miller presents an artists talk "Getting Old and Staying Young"Thursday, November 15, 2018 at 6:00PM in room 310 Art & Communication Building
University of Memphis Clay Club will present work at the Memphis Potters' Guild Annual Holiday Show & Sale
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U of M's Egyptian Institute Will Host October 25th Lecture
"Aper-El: Vizier, Father of the God, and Much More"
The Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology, in cooperation with the Department of History of the University of Memphis, and the Tennessee Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt, will co-host the thirteenth annual William J. Murnane Memorial Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 25, in the Art and Communications Building, room 310. Dr. Alain Zivie, Director of the French Archaeological Mission of the Bubasteion, will present at 7:00 p.m. A reception will precede the lecture, at 6:15 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. Pay parking is available in the Innovation Garage (Lot 40), located next to the Fogelman Executive Center.
Dr. Zivie is the founder and Director of the French Archaeological Mission of the Bubasteion in Saqqara, Egypt, Director of Research Emeritus of the National Center of Scientific Research in Paris, France, and a former Scientific Member of the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale in Cairo, Egypt. He has served previously as a Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, as W. K. Simpson Visiting Professor at the American University in Cairo, and as a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University. He has published over 160 Egyptological articles and books, and also lectures extensively worldwide.
Dr. Zivie will be speaking on his discovery at Saqqara of the tomb of a high official known as Aper-El, an Egyptian rendering of the Semitic name Abdiel, meaning "Servant of El." El, meaning "god," was the name of numerous deities from ancient Syro-Palestine and also appears frequently in the Hebrew Bible. Aper-El served as vizier during the reigns of the Eighteenth Dynasty king Amenhotep III and his son Akhenaten, Egypt's so-called "Heretic Pharaoh." Dr. Zivie's lecture will examine the artifacts and human remains uncovered in the burial chamber that Aper-El shared with his wife and son. From these discoveries, it is possible to reconstruct the careers of Aper-El's family during one of the most controversial and exciting periods of Egypt's ancient history.
For more information, email Dr. Joshua Roberson at jrbrson4@memphis.edu or the IEAA at 901-678-2555.
Visit the IEAA events page at http://www.memphis.edu/egypt/events
Greely Myatt at Delta Arts in West Memphis
Art Education students helped at Campus School's STEAM Family Night!
Upcoming events at Bradbury Art Museum!
Eclectic_Hans Schmitt-Matzen.jpg
Hans Schmitt-Matzen
FEATURING WORK BY
TERESA COLE | JED JACKSON | TOM LEE
MARIO M. MULLER | HANS SCHMITT-MATZEN | DAVID SULLIVAN
ECLECTIC IS ON VIEW OCTOBER 4 - NOVEMBER 7, 2018
OCTOBER EVENTS:
WEEKEND WORKSHOPS
OCTOBER 7, 2PM
STILL LIFE SILHOUETTES
BEST FOR TEENS & UP
OCTOBER 28, 2PM
PAPER PATTERNING
FANTASY FRIDAY
OCTOBER 19, 5:30PM
READING FROM FANTASY NOVELIST
DANA CHAMBLEE CARPENTER
THURSDAY AT THE MUSEUM
OCTOBER 25, 5:30PM
IMPROV TOUR LED BY A-STATE IMPROV
All events, workshops and exhibitions are admission-free and open to the public
Weekend Workshop seating is limited: register online here
to secure a seat.
Robert Fairchild, Mason Nolan and Jeff Carter at the show opening at the Bradbury Museum at ASU in Jonesboro.
Look at this article!
Joshua A. Roberson new article, co-authored with his French and Egyptian colleagues from the French Institute of Eastern Archaeology, has now appeared in print, as:"Le temple 'primitif' de Ptah à Karnak," Bulletin de l'Institut français d'archéologie Orientale 117 (2017): 125–159.
"Ancient Egyptian Furniture: From the earliest examples to those 'wonderful things' of the New Kingdom"
The Tennessee Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt, in association with U of M's Egyptian Institute, Will Host October 10th Lecture
The Tennessee Chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt, in association with
the Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology, will host a public lecture on Wednesday,
Oct. 10, in the University Center, room 350 (Fountain View Suite). Dr. Geoffrey Killen
will present at 7:00 p.m. A reception will precede the lecture, at 6:15 p.m. Both
events are free and open to the public. Pay parking is available in the Zach Curlin
garage, near the University Center.
Dr. Killen will be speaking on the history of ancient Egyptian furniture, from the
earliest examples to the exquisite pieces discovered in the famous tomb of Tutankhamun.
Through a comparison of pieces from both royal and non-royal contexts, Dr. Killen
will provide insight into the forms and manufacturing techniques of some of ancient
Egypt's most spectacular preserved artifacts.
Dr. Geoffrey Killen is a leading Egyptologist, wood technologist, and furniture historian who studied Design and Technology at Shoreditch College, University of London and the University of Liverpool, where he specialized in Egyptian woodworking of the Ramesside era. He has written extensively on the subject of Egyptian woodworking and has also led in the field of experimental archaeology, where making and using replica tools and equipment has generated and tested archaeological hypotheses. He has lectured and given practical demonstrations of Ancient Egyptian woodworking processes and techniques in the U.S. and Britain. Dr. Killen has studied the collections of Egyptian furniture and woodwork at most of the major world museums, including the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Dr. Killen's practical work is currently displayed, together with the original artifacts, in several British museums.
For more information, email Dr. Joshua Roberson at jrbrson4@memphis.edu or the IEAA at 901-678-2555.
U of M's Egyptian Institute will Host Sept. 27th Lecture
Divine Donations: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt
The Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology will host the second annual IEAA Alumni Lecture on Thursday, Sept. 27, in the Art & Communications Building, room 310. Dr. Sarah Schellinger, of the San Antonio Museum of Art and Trinity University, San Antonio, will present at 7:00 p.m. A reception will precede the lecture, at 6:15 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. Pay parking is available in the Innovation Garage (Lot 40), located next to the Fogelman Executive Center.
Dr. Schellinger will present on the fascinating topic of animal mummies in ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians identified animals with the divine realm and adapted earlier techniques of (human) mummification for animal use, in order to serve as offerings to their deities. This custom resulted in the mummification of millions of animals in the later centuries of ancient Egyptian history. Dr. Schellinger will discuss the ancient beliefs surrounding animal mummification as well as the scientific techniques, such as X-ray and CT scanning, that modern scholars employ to study them. Dr. Schellinger and her colleagues at the San Antonio Museum of Art have utilized these cutting edge technologies, along with traditional artifact conservation, to analyze animal mummies in the museum's collection, with interesting and, in some cases, unexpected results.
Dr. Sarah Schellinger is an adjunct faculty member at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and a specialist in the art and archaeology of ancient Egypt and Nubia. She held the inaugural Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellowship at the San Antonio Museum of Art and has served previously as a Terrace Research Associate in Egyptian Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as well as holding internships at the Royal Ontario Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, in Pittsburgh, PA. While at the San Antonio Museum of Art, Dr. Schellinger curated the exhibition Egyptian Animal Mummies: Science Explores an Ancient Religion. Her publications include an essay on the Victory Stela of Piye, the Nubian king who founded Egypt's Twenty-Fifth Dynasty, as well as articles concerning the architecture of Nubian palaces and forts. Dr. Schellinger earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations from the University of Toronto, and her M.A. in Art History from the University of Memphis.
For more information, email Dr. Joshua Roberson at jrbrson4@memphis.edu
Check It Out!
Our MFA, Virginia Overton, is featured in the most recent New Yorker!
Check Out These Exhibits!
James Edgar Jackson will be exhibiting about 10 paintings at the Bradbury Museum at
Arkansas State University opening October 4. Also, he will have two paintings in an
Exhibit at the Center for Creative Art in St. Louis opening in September. TEN YEARS IN is exhibiting in a major Museum Exhibit in the Burchfield Penny Art Center, Buffalo
New York. It will be open Friday, July 13–Sunday, October 28, 2018.
Want Free Food?
On September 25, our campus is hosting Sickle Cell Awareness Day. This event is planned and supported through a partnership with The Department of Communication, The School of Public Health, The Sickle Cell Foundation of Tennessee, individuals who battle sickle cell disease, and individual providers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
As part of the event, we are hosting a blood drive through Life Blood, the Midsouth Regional Blood Center. Because many sickle cell patients require multiple blood transfusion throughout their lives, a blood drive is an important element of this event.
For Life Blood to commit to the event, I need twenty people to sign up to donate blood on Sept. 25, between 11:00 and 2:30. I need to have twenty people committed by this Friday, August 17.
If anyone is interested in donating, they can email me by this Friday at ajyoung@memphis.edu, with a simple statement of committing to donate on that day, signed with their full name.
Blood donation takes about 40 minutes, and Life Blood provides free pizza afterward.
CHECK IT OUT!
CHECK IT OUT!
ELLEN DEMPSEY UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS DEPARTMENT OF ART ALUMNA (MFA 2018) RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE CENTER'S 2018 OUTSTANDING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURE AWARD
International Sculpture Center
publisher of Sculpture magazine
(Hamilton, NJ) Ellen Dempsey, of Florence, AL, has been awarded the prestigious International
Sculpture Center's Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award
for 2018. Ellen Dempsey is a student at University of Memphis.
The International Sculpture Center (ISC) established the annual "Outstanding Student
Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award" program in 1994 to recognize young sculptors
and to encourage their continued commitment to the field. It was also designed to
draw attention to the sculpture programs of the participating universities, colleges
and art schools. The award program's growing publicity resulted in an exceptional
number of participating institutions; including over 138 universities, colleges and
art school sculpture programs from eight countries for a nominated total of 354 students.
A distinguished panel made up of Sam Ekwurtzel, Brooklyn based artist & 2006 Student
Award Recipient, Brooklyn, NY; Gina Miccinilli, Educator & working sculptor, Mahwah,
NJ; and Ysabel Pinyol, Curatorial Director, Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ; selected
17 recipients, and 18 honorable mentions through a competitive viewing process of
the works submitted. The selection of the recipients from a large pool of applicants,
including international students, is a great accomplishment and testament to the artistic
promise of the students' work.
The 17 award recipients will participate in a Fall/Winter Exhibition (location and
dates TBD). The artist's work will be featured in the October 2018 issue of the International
Sculpture Center's award winning publication, Sculpture magazine as well as on the
ISC's award-winning website at www.sculpture.org.
The International Sculpture Center (ISC) is a member-supported, nonprofit organization
founded in 1960 to champion the creation and understanding of sculpture and its unique,
vital contribution to society. Members include sculptors, collectors, patrons, architects,
developers, journalists, curators, historians, critics, educators, foundries, galleries,
and museums-anyone with an interest in and commitment to the field of sculpture. Please
visit www.sculpture.org for further details.
Department Chair Richard A. Lou's work featured on the front page of the Arts and Entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times.
'Border Door' provided a poetic welcome to immigrants 30 years ago. An art show brings back its message
Look at this!
Here are photos from the Community Art Academy celebration at the Memphis Public Library.
Check This Out!
Join us in the Thursday May 3 in the Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art from 6-8 PM for a one-night only exhibition of works by graduating University of Memphis Graphic Design students: Ben Ardon, Claudia Duarte, Steve Duggan, Kaitlyn Hoover, Holly Hughes, Caitlin Lawless, Lana Lopez, Micheal Moore, Kyle Neblett, Jacob Nevill, Gwendolyn Nguyen, Sarai Payne, Parks Perdue, Ashley Thephasone, and Millie Walt.
Check This Out!
Graphic Design Faculty & Students Create Digital Sets for Opera Memphis' Midtown Opera Festival
Assistant Professor K Brandon Bell & Associate Professor Gary Golightly, along with students Cassie Farrier, Parks Purdue and MFA candidate Chad Malone, are working to create video projection sets for the upcoming Midtown Opera Festival at Playhouse On The Square, April 6-14.
This is the sixth annual festival presented by Opera Memphis: two weeks of opera, parties, panel discussions, family events, and more, in the heart of the city. This year's festival will feature Scarlatti's The Triumph of Honor, set in a mashup of the 1690's and the 1990's. It will also boast the world premiere of the Opera 901 Showcase, a series of five original operas commissioned by Opera Memphis, all set in Memphis.
https://www.facebook.com/events/120327351954726/
Check Out This Exhibition!
Check Out the 12th Annual Art Education Alumni Juried Exhibition!
Check Out This Exhibit in St. Louis!
MUNCH AND LEARN: 'ART AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY: THE INTERSECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND PAINTING' BY DAVID HORAN
01/31/2018, Noon to 1:00 PM
Description:
Wednesdays, 12:00pm | Winegardner Auditorium
This brown-bag lecture series features local artists, experts and the Dixon Gallery and Gardens staff sharing their expertise on a variety of topics. Bring your own lunch or purchase a delicious box lunch from Park & Cherry on-site. Free for members and students with ID.
January 31: Art at the Turn of the Century: The Intersection of Photography and Painting by David Horan, Photography Instructor, University of Memphis
During the transitional years bridging the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the relatively new medium of photography had matured from a purely documentary tool into a rich medium of artistic expression. Artists were exploring ways to utilize the new language of writing with light and were strongly influencing the traditional mediums of painting and sculpture with new concepts of composition and vision. From Pictorialism, to Futurism, to Surrealism, 'cross-pollination' was the word of the day.
Bring The Kids To This Event!
The University of Memphis 12th Annual Art Education Alumni Juried Exhibition!
Dear UM Art Education Alumni,
I would like to invite you and two of your students to participate in The University of Memphis 12th Annual Art Education Alumni Juried Exhibition.
The theme for the exhibition is "Reflections." Each alumnus must submit one recent work of art, and two students' works (one male and one female). The artwork should convey the idea of reflections. Student work may or may not show a relationship to their Art Teacher's work. (Detailed criteria are listed on the following page). Please make sure the works of art submitted are ready to hang and are constructed to withstand being hung.
Please complete the registration form on the following page and keep this schedule, so that you will not miss any deadlines.
I look forward to seeing your submissions.
Sincerely,
Bryna Bobick, Ed.D.
Associate Professor, Art Education bbobick@memphis.edu
(901) 678-1472
SCHEDULE
February 20 – Art Alumni/Student Submission Deadline and accepting work 3:30-5:30, Room 112 Art and Communication Building, 3715 Central Avenue.
February 27 – Opening Reception - 3:30-5:00 pm
Awards at 4:00, The Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art.
Pick up work:
March 19 - 3:30-5:30, Room 112 Art and Communication Building, 3715 Central Ave.
CRITERIA
Title: University of Memphis 12th Annual Art Education Alumni Juried Exhibition
Theme: "Reflections"
Criteria: Each alumni must submit one recent work of art, and two students work (one male and one female). The artwork must communicate visually the theme of "Reflections". Student work may or may not show a relationship to their Art Teacher's work. Share your visual interpretation of reflections. This theme can be visually communicated through content or media. Media Focus: Painting, Collage, Assemblage, Ceramics, Mixed Media, Print, Pastel, Photography.
The University of Memphis Annual Art Education Alumni Juried Exhibition features area K-12 art educators who are graduates of the University of Memphis Art Education Program, or who have completed coursework at the University during their teaching preparation or careers. This exhibition is held each year during Youth Art Month and is in accordance with the mission and vision of the University of Memphis, the Art Department and the Tennessee Art Education Association.
If you have questions, contact Kelly Cook, kcook6@memphis.edu.*The University of Memphis assumes no responsibility for the loss or damage to entries.
Please email this information to Bryna Bobick prior to the submission date, bbobick@memphis.edu and attach a copy to the back of each work of art.
Educator's Name:
Educator's Biographical Statement (Please limit to five sentences):
Institution Represented:
Title of Educator's Work:
Media of Educator's Work:
Year Completed:
Short Description of Artwork: The artwork must reflect "Reflections"
Student 1 Name:
Student 1 Class/Grade Level:
Title of Student 1 Work:
Media of Student 1 Work:
Short Description of Student 1 Artwork: The artwork must reflect "Reflections"
Student 2 Name:
Student 2 Class/Grade Level:
Title of Student 2 Work:
Media of Student 2 Work:
Short Description of Student 2 Artwork: The artwork must reflect "Reflections"
A Tennessee Board of Regents Institution An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action University
Congratulations to the following award winners:
Catherine Knowles, BFA Graphic Design
Wins Gold at local and Silver ADDY
Catherine Knowles, BFA Graphic Design Student Wins Gold at local and Silver ADDY at the regional level which includes statewide competition including competitors
from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Knowles design moves forward to
compete at the national level!
The American Advertising Awards is the advertising industry's largest and most representative competition, attracting
more than 40,000 entries every year from local ad club competitions. The mission of
the American Advertising Awards competition is to recognize and reward the creative
spirit of excellence in the art of advertising. It is a three tiered creative competition
where winners receive gold and/or silver ADDY awards.
- From the AAF website.
My magazine ad campaign History Speaks Here won a Gold ADDY in the AAF Memphis (local club) competition. Gold awards automatically move on to the next tier of judging which for Tennessee is District 7. District 7 of the American Advertising Federation represents 20 affiliate advertising clubs and federations of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. and it went on to District 7 judging and won a Silver ADDY award in that competition. Silver awards can be manually forwarded onto the national level for judging, and History Speaks Here is currently en route for a national award.
Recently, I was selected to present my art history research on an ancient Egyptian tomb (KV 57, The Royal Tomb of Horemhub) at NCUR on April 8. My research on the tomb had to do with the overwhelmingly incomplete state of the tomb that allowed the viewer to see the actual process of creating tomb decoration. Hence the title of my presentation, "The Art of Process." I found this concept to be especially attractive as an artist myself, and found it to be a method of connecting back with creative minds from ages ago.
Crosstown Concourse co-founder named Communicator of the Year
Article by Memphis Business Journal
The voice behind the movement to rehabilitate the 1.5-million-square-foot Sears Crosstown
building into a thriving vertical urban village is being recognized as the 2016 Communicator
of the Year.
Todd Richardson, an associate professor at the University of Memphis, co-founder of Crosstown Arts and managing director of Crosstown Concourse, was selected as the Memphis Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America's (PRSA) 2016 Communicator of the Year.