SAVE THE DATE!  

Art as Transformation: Using Photography for Social Change

a talk with LaToya Ruby Frazier

sponsored by the UVA Department of Art, the Miller Arts Scholars, & the UVA Arts Council 

October 27, 2020 / 5:30 PM / Register

The 2019 – 2020 school year brought some world-renowned artists to the Studio Art grounds. Their work, representing a diverse array of media, introduced our students to new techniques and perspectives.  

still from "Gestalt" from Nick Cave's exhibition "Spot On" in the Ruffin Gallery

Nick Cave was the year’s Ruffin Distinguished Artist-in-Residence. To usher in his residency in November, he gave an inaugural lecture in conversation with The Fralin Museum’s Director, Matthew McLendon. While the residency unfortunately got cut short due to COVID-19, Cave led select students in a workshop in which they conceptualized group projects that challenged their ideas of collaboration with the theme 2020, upside-down. Poet Somé Louis was a guest in the workshop and offered her own performative response to the prompt. Cave’s show of video work, Spot On, was on view in the Ruffin Gallery in the Spring and was featured through the summer as the gallery’s first online exhibition. 

In the Fall, many other artists visited Grounds to introduce students to new ways of thinking and making. Linda Goode-Bryant, activist, gallery owner, filmmaker, urban farmer (among many other diverse titles), gave a lecture on freedom and the value of artists, challenging students to think outside themselves and consider non-traditional expressions as their art practices. Emily Larned, printmaker and graphic designer, gave an intimate talk at the Virginia Center for the Book about her work. She also visited and worked with printmaking students in their classes. Helen O’Leary, a painter and sculptor who challenges the distinctions between the two artistic media, spoke about her work in a lecture titled “DIY Museum”.  

While the Spring semester was cut short, several artists did make their way to Ruffin to share their work and practice with our students. For the inaugural show for 2020 in the Ruffin Gallery, sisters Susanne and Elin Slavick exhibited a series of collaged and mixed media works titled All to Pieces. The artists joined the department for the Final Fridays reception to give an artist talk on their work. Guadalupe Maravilla, multimedia artist, came as a guest of the sculpture concentration. He worked with students, giving one-on-one critiques, and gave a public lecture on his work.  

We're excited by the opportunities to host artists virtually during this unprecedented time. LaToya Ruby Frazier will be joining us for a virtual lecture "Art as Transformation: Using Photography for Social Change" on October 27th. Register for the talk here and RSVP on Facebook!