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
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
Look at This Exhibit!
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.