33rd Annual Juried Student Exhibition Features Diverse Talents

Image captions (above, L to R): Kelly Henderson, Untitled, 2015. Photograph; Jarvis Boyland, Black Boy (detail), 2015. Oil on canvas; Ruben Garnica, Untitled (detail), 2015. Steel.

A tradition for the past 33 years, the 2016 Annual Student Exhibition will feature works by 41 University of Memphis undergraduate and graduate students who have taken courses in the Department of Art. From over 100 submissions, 44 works have been selected by exhibition judge, Michael Aurbach, a Nashville-based artist-educator. Showcasing the breadth and diversity of U of M's student talent, the exhibition is comprised of various media, including ceramics, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, and sculpture. The exhibition will be on view in The Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art from January 22 to February 5, 2016, as its normal venue, the Art Museum of the University of Memphis, remains closed for renovations.

Student awards have been generously sponsored by The University of Memphis Office of the President, Graduate School, Fogelman College of Business & Economics, and Department of Art, as well as by local institutions and businesses including the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Metal Museum, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, National Civil Rights Museum, and Art Center.

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Image caption (above): Michael Aurbach, Administrative Vision, 2013. Mixed media. Image courtesy of the artist.

"Three Decades of Making Stuff": Public Lecture by Michael Aurbach

Thursday, January 21, 2016
7 PM

Nashville-based artist-educator Michael Aurbach and exhibition judge will reflect on the past three decades of his career. Mr. Aurbach is best known for his socially inspired sculptures that addresses issues of identity, death, institutional power, and contemporary forms of scholarship. He has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards. Among the institutions and foundations that have provided support for his work are the National Endowment for the Arts, the Southern Arts Federation, the Tennessee Arts Commission, Art Matters Inc., the Puffin Foundation, the Beren Foundation, and Vanderbilt University. From 2002-04, he served as president of the College Art Association, the world's largest organization of visual arts professionals.
In December 2015, Aurbach retired as Professor of Fine Arts at Vanderbilt University, having taught sculpture and drawing since1986.