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NEWS

Spring News from the Davidson College Art Department

by | Feb 26, 2024

The Belk Visual Arts Center, with the banner by Marquia Humphries ’22.

 

Dear Friends,

This Spring Semester, we are wrapping up our yearlong celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Belk Visual Arts Center. A key event is a guest lecture by Bahia Ramos, Vice President of Arts at the Wallace Foundation, titled “Funding the Future: Driving Change in the Arts through Research and Grantmaking.” Her talk will focus on the evolving role of arts organizations since the Covid pandemic.

Since we are almost midway through the semester, it’s time to honor our senior majors who are nearing the completion of their senior projects. In Studio Art, Claire Begalla led the way with their senior art exhibition last December. The Van Every/Smith Galleries will soon feature exhibitions by Joe Claire, Sarah Green, Julia Matthieson, Amelia Shields, Mary Nell Todd, Claire Tatum, and Alana Wilson.

Art history seniors completed their capstone projects last fall, with Ellie Taylor among them. Others, including Kate Cross, Sam Cochran, Brown Payne, Adam Saacke, Caroline Sillars, Kaiyan Wang, have extended their capstones into yearlong thesis projects to be presented in poster format at the Verna Miller Case Symposium.

Join us in celebrating the accomplishments of all our graduating majors, minors, and all art and art history students.

Cheers,

John Corso-Esquivel
Associate Professor and Chair

Departmental Highlights

  • Milestone Anniversary: 30 Years of the Belk Visual Arts Center. This semester, we continue to celebrate three decades of excellence in art history and studio art in the beautiful Belk Visual Arts Center (VAC).

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

  • Gloria Sutton: “Pattern Recognition: Contemporary Art in the Age of AI,” February 27, 2024, 4:30–6:00 PM, Semans Lecture Auditorium, VAC 117.

  • Art History Bake Sale for Earthquake Relief: Join the Art History Capstone Class in supporting the Japan Noto Peninsula Earthquake relief by purchasing homemade cookies. We will send funds to a relief charity in advance of our capstone class trip to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. Thursday, February 29, from 11:05 AM to 12:05 PM, in the Alvarez College Union, atrium-level table.

  • Join Ars Longa Figure Drawing Club: Davidson students of all artistic levels are invited to enhance their drawing skills with Ars Longa, our figure drawing club. We supply newsprint and select drawing materials, though you’re welcome to bring your own. Meetings are held Thursdays, 7-8 PM, in VAC 203. Interested? Join our GroupMe here and follow us on Instagram at @ArsLongaDavidson.

  • Bahia Ramos: “Funding the Future: Driving Change in the Arts through Research and Grantmaking,” April 16, 2024, 5:00–6:00 PM, Semans Lecture Auditorium, VAC 117.

 

Joelle Dietrick’s Chasing the Sun exhibition at the Shirley Project Space in Brooklyn, September 22–November 17, 2023. Photo by Kate Glicksberg.

Faculty & Staff Updates

  • John Corso-Esquivel, Associate Professor and Chair, and Matthew Biro (University of Michigan) co-chaired the panel “Art Under Duress: DEAI Strategies for Teaching and Exhibiting Art under Governmental and Institutional Censorship” at the 2024 College Art Association Annual Conference in Chicago.

  • Joelle Dietrick, Associate Professor of Art and Digital Studies,showcased her project “Chasing the Sun” at the Shirley Project Space in Brooklyn from September 22 to November 17, 2023, presented at the SECAC conference in Richmond on October 13, 2023, and was featured on the Sound & Vision Podcast on November 23, 2023. More information is available at Joelle Dietrick’s website.

  • Lyla Halsted, Assistant Professor, presented a paper on the diagnosis and treatment of the Evil Eye in medieval Islamic material culture at the Middle Eastern Studies Association Annual Conference in Montreal in November.

  • Trinity Martinez, Visiting Assistant Professor, has had her paper, “Demonic to Divine: The Centaur as a Christianizing Figure in Benedetto di Montagna’s St. Anthony and the Centaur,” accepted for publication in Studies in Iconography and is organizing a panel for the Renaissance Society of America Conference in Chicago, March 20-23, titled “Domestic Dynamics in the Creation, Collection, and Display of European Art, 1350–1650,” where she will present her paper on the impact of Islamic material culture on Florentine cassoni.

  • Marisa J. Pascucci, Gallery & Collection Coordinator, was invited to guest curate an exhibition at McColl Center, “A Grimm Tale, by Doris Kapner,” from December 29, 2023, to January 21, 2024; she also hosted an artist talk on January 18, 2024.

  • Tyler Starr, Associate Professor, was featured in a video by the Bainbridge Island Museum of Arts presenting his newest artist’s book, now part of their collection. He also completed a community engagement project with an exhibition of the works created with Hinds Feet Farm at the Cain Center, with Simon El Bey (Visual Arts & Education Director / Cain Center for the Arts) curating the exhibit. Watch the video here.

 

Claire Begalla, She’s Trying Series, Digital Photography.

Student Spotlight

  • Emma Buehrer, Class of 2024: Supported by the Larry Ligo fund, Emma embarked on a research project in New York City to explore contemporary art created in times of war. She visited two significant galleries, delving into art as a medium for grieving and processing violence.

  • Adam Saacke, Class of 2024: Thanks to the Larry R. Ligo Art History Travel Fund, Adam conducted thesis research on the Blacklips Drag Performance Cult. He utilized the New York Public Library’s archives and explored pivotal locations in New York’s 1980s and 1990s drag scene.

  • Caroline Sillars, Class of 2024: Caroline is interning at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian, researching Indigenous artists for the Native Knowledge 360 program, as part of her semester’s work.

  • Kaiyan Wang, Class of 2024: With the support of the Larry R. Ligo Art History Travel Fund, Kaiyan immersed herself in Peruvian culture, studying its history from the pre-Inca and Inca periods through the colonial era to the present.

  • Sarah Willoughby, Class of 2025: Over winter break, Sarah utilized the Larry L.R. Ligo travel fund for a project on international museum accessibility, conducting her research in Paris, France.

Van Every/Smith Galleries

  • Current Exhibition:The sun still rises in spite of everything,” Van Every Gallery, January 22 – April 07, 2024. “A Crack In the Hourglass” by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is a poignant participatory artwork featured in the exhibition, memorializing lives lost to COVID-19.

  • Lecture with Frank Lord ’89: “Contemporary Policy on Nazi-era Restitution” on April 23, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm at Semans Lecture Hall, VAC 117. Discover insights from Frank Lord ’89, BA, Ph.D. in Art History, and JD, on the intricacies of art restitution policies from the Nazi era.

  • Annual Student Art Exhibition Awards & Reception: Celebrate student creativity on April 24, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm at the Belk Visual Arts Center. Enjoy the award ceremony, dinner, and music on the VAC Lawn, with juror Frank Lord ’89.

We invite students, faculty, staff, and alumni to share professional updates.

 

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