The mission of the Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art is to promote smart and relevant works of art by emerging, mid-career and established contemporary artists. The Gallery strives to serve as a laboratory for student learning and seeks to enrich the lives of community members.
Shannon Morris, Gallery Director
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August 23, 2018:
Curator's Talk
5:00 p.m.
University Hall 170
The Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art announces the second annual Summer Arts Invitational. This year, the Byrd Gallery extends an invitation to artist, arts administrator, and emerging curator, Megan Schaeffer.
As a result of the invitation, the Byrd Gallery is pleased to present “Material + Method: Exploring Gender Roles through Tradition,” curated by Megan Schaeffer. This exhibition explores gender roles, female identity, and seeks to expand the definition of fine art through the works of four female artists: Abby Bullard, Adejoke Tugbiyele, Sonya Young James, and Leisa Rich. Their works re-contextualize traditional materials and processes associated with practices such as weaving, felting, sewing, and printing.
More about our guest curator and presenter:
Megan Schaeffer currently serves as Art Farm Director at Serenbe, a progressive community connected to nature on the edge of Atlanta. As an experienced arts management professional, her role at Serenbe provides her with unique opportunities to pursue her passion for building creative communities and creating meaningful opportunities for artists.
As a founding team member of the Charleston, SC chapter of Creative Mornings, a monthly breakfast lecture series focusing on leaders in the creative community, she also managed a gallery space in Charleston and served as an Outreach Coordinator for Artist & Craftsman Supply. Moving to Atlanta in 2015, Schaeffer spent two years as the Artist Liaison & Art Resource Coordinator for a prominent Atlanta art consulting firm. She has worked with ArtsATL, an arts publication, on its programming and sponsorship, and serves on the advisory board of ArtsNOW.
After receiving her BA in Arts Management from the College of Charleston, Schaffer completed the Sotheby's Institute of Fine Art intensive program for Gallery Management and Curatorial Studies.
More about the featured artists:
Abby Bullard is an Atlanta-based artist. She has exhibited in group shows in Georgia, Nebraska, California, and Lacoste, France. In 2014, she received "Best in Printmaking" for her work in the Nebraska National Undergraduate Juried Art Exhibition at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Her work is also featured in the SGC International permanent collection at the Zuckerman Museum of Art in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Bullard received her Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Printmaking from the Savannah College of Art & Design. She is a Printmaker and Arts Administrator. Currently, she works as the Development and Grants Coordinator for Atlanta Contemporary.
Adejoke Tugbiyele is an award-winning, queer, black artist and advocate. She was a featured participant in CultureSummit 2017-Abu Dhabi, is a recipient of the 2016 Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant, one of 100 Leading Global Thinkers in 2015, and a U.S. Fulbright Student Alumni. While a graduate student at Maryland Institute College of Art, Tugbiyele was awarded the Amalie Rothschild ’34 Rinehart Award in 2012 and the William M. Phillips ’54 Scholarship for Best Figurative Sculpture in 2013.
A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Sonja Young James is a sculptor and multi-media artist who lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia, where she was raised. For the past several years, James’s work has focused on the exploration of the idea of real devotion and ritual experienced through the process of repetitive, labor-intensive making. The sculptures utilize animal hair, including sheep wool and horse hair. Currently, she focuses on the duality of form representing opposing sensations and ongoing emotional tensions. James reveals this through her selection of contrasting visual textures such as gentleness and violence, animal and human, and beauty and the object. The landscapes of the South, personal narrative, and the history of mourning in America influence her work.
James received a BFA in Printmaking from Georgia State University in 2000 where she focused on etching and sculpture.
Atlanta-based artist Leisa Rich creates traditional sculptures and installations. She is also published in numerous books and magazines, online, and in televised interviews such as PBS's In Context. She has written reviews and articles for national and international magazines, and has created videos for arts organizations, magazines, and zines. She has artworks in the permanent collections of Delta Airlines, Emory Healthcare, The Kamm Foundation, The Dallas Museum of Art, The University of Texas, and The University of North Texas, and in many private collections across the U.S., Canada, and the European Union.
Rich holds a Master of Fine Arts, The University of North Texas, Denton; a Bachelor of Education in Art, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada; and a Bachelor of Fine Art in Fibers, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Currently, she is a self-employed art educator who enjoys leading studio workshops and classes.
by Avalyn ZilkeOpening Reception:
Thursday, April 12, 2018 ,
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Washington Hall, Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art
Avalyn Zilke is a senior in Augusta University’s Department of Art and Design. Zilke's work examines the impact humans have on the environment as it pertains to the ocean. Specifically focusing on whales and the growing issue of plastic pollution and micro plastic pollution, she draws inspiration from Marcus Erickson’s book Junk Raft, and attempts to blend research and environmental activism with a theatrical yet scientific approach.
Junk Whale features a large-scale wall installation of a whale covered in an average year’s supply of discarded plastics. Documentary photographs will also be displayed alongside paintings featuring plastic originally encompassing the canvas embedded directly into the paint.
Ms. Zilke states, “The average American contributes 4.3 pounds of trash to the world a day, and 1569.5 pounds of trash a year. The interaction breaks the surface of just how much plastic waste is created and how much of it ends up in the ocean to last for decades to come. It is estimated that 15% to 40% of litter and thrown away plastic enters into the ocean and effects wildlife.
“As this exhibition has grown over the past two years so has the concept," Zilke continues. "Last year around March I began collecting plastic trash from anyone willing to give me their plastic. Throughout the year each of them has mentioned how much this has impacted them; they never realized just how much plastic they used in an average week. The research for this exhibition and its preparation have affected me and it is my hope the exhibition will have the same on effect on others.”
January 11 - February 16, 2018Intended to showcase one year of the artist’s research, creative process and production, this exhibition features selections of Shanequa Gay's source materials, her sketches and three distinct installations to include a video, a domestic setting and a wall mural inside the gallery.
Influenced by her research of printed fabric and its history, the designs created by Gay reflect her interests in the Civil Rights era, Southern vernacular, and current issues faced by African Americans. Her thematic approach to contemporary issues rendered through genre scenes and mythological figures echoes her research of the practices of illustrators who created the imagery for the fabrics produced by the Oberkampf Factory in Jouey-en-Josas, which operated in France during the 17th and 18th century, producing the pastoral genre commonly known as Toile de Jouey, or simply,"toile," and traditional African patterns such as Adinkra. The wall mural in this exhibition features Gay's deertaur — a mythological creature featuring the head of a deer and the body of a man that she often uses in her work to reference the "hunted" status of the African American male.
Following the Department of Art and Design’s tradition, as the first exhibiting artist of the calendar year, Ms. Gay will serve as the juror for the Byrd Gallery's annual student exhibition open to all Augusta University students. She will also be in residence with the Department beginning January 8th and will work with current students and recent alumni to produce the exhibition's featured wall mural.
About Shanequa Gay
Contemporary artist Shanequa Gay (b. 1977) is a native of Atlanta, Georgia where she continues to live and work. Widely acclaimed for her paintings and illustrations, Shanequa has also received accolades for her advocacy of projects that challenge the violence and injustices committed against the black body in America and across the globe. Her current body of work integrates imagery of the black body into paintings, toile schema, found objects, and video media, addressing its use and control for decorative purposes.
Shanequa’s art is regularly featured in exhibitions by museums and galleries throughout the U.S. including the Chattanooga African American Museum, the Hammonds House Museum, Emory University, Wofford College and the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. Her works are collected by individuals with notable collections such as Samuel L. Jackson and held by public and private institutions.
Among her honors, Shanequa boasts of selection by The Congressional Club to serve as the illustrator of the hostess gift presented at the First Lady’s Luncheon by Michelle Obama, 2013. She is also the recipient of an Independent Study Fellowship, Iwakuni, Japan and the Gene Arthur Allcott Scholarship, the Glenda Knight Keyes Prize for Outstanding Talent and the Artistic Honors Scholarship presented by the Savannah College of Art and Design. Additionally, her work is featured by the film and television industry including the Lion’s Gate film production Addicted, the BET television series Being Mary Jane, Zoe Ever After and the OWN series Greenleaf.
Shanequa holds a B.F.A. in Painting from the Savannah College of Art Design (2015) and is currently a candidate for an M.F.A. at Georgia State University.
October 26 - December 1, 2017Opening Reception: Thursday, October 26, 5 - 7 p.m.
This exhibition is presented in honor of the artistic excellence of the Augusta University Department of Art and Design faculty members.
We celebrate our faculty members with an exhibition of their recent works featuring a wide array of two-dimensional and three-dimensional work in various media including graphic media, paintings, print making, photography, sculpture and fine art quilts.
Featured artists include: Kristin Casaletto, Tom Crowther, Carrie Dyer, Philip Morsberger, Jennifer Onofrio, Randy Pace, Raoul Pacheco, Brian Rust, Chadwick Tolley, Julie Sibley and Janice Whiting.
Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art is pleased to present the exhibition Philip Morsberger: An Augusta Treasure. This exhibition honors Philip Morsberger, who served as the William S. Morris Eminent Scholar in Art for five years and holds the title of Professor Emeritus with Augusta University Department of Art and Design. Renowned for his work and his career as an artist, Morsberger is also a beloved part of the Augusta community.
Prior to his arrival in Augusta, Philip Morsberger served as the Ruskin Master for The Ruskin School of Art at University of Oxford (1971-1984) and taught at notable institutions such as Harvard University, Dartmouth College, University of California- Berkeley, California College of Arts, and Miami University in Ohio. His work is collected and exhibited by institutions and galleries throughout the US and abroad.
The Department of Art and Design will also present the works of previous Morsberger Scholar Award Recipients in Washington Hall. This award is granted annually to students who are selected by a faculty member of the Department of Art and Design.
Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art is delighted to present the exhibition Field Day with
works by Didi Dunphy, June 22 – August 24, 2017.
The works on display in Field Day comprise a variety of two-dimensional images, sculptures
and video’s. Ms. Dunphy’s interactive piece, Conversational Rocker, is designed for
swaying, friends and fun, will provide viewers of all ages with an opportunity to
take an indoor recess from their summer work schedules.
Mary S. Byrd Lecture/Reception August 24th at 5 p.m. University Hall, Room 170
Reception to follow in Washington Hall immediately following 6-7 p.m.
Curatorial Conversations August 25th 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Ms. Dunphy will be in residence for a new program designed especially for Augusta
University, Department of Art and Design, Juniors and Seniors on Friday, August 25.
This program designed to help and support upperclassman, within the Department, as
they begin to conceive and establish a body of work for their senior exhibitions.
