In the Loop
Press Release : Aug 28, 2015

University Gallery Hosts First-Ever Alumni Exhibition September 8-October 8, 2015

The University of Florida (UF) School of Art + Art History will hold its first invitational alumni exhibition titled sa+ah: Alumni Invitational Exhibition: Image, Object, Idea in University Gallery on UF’s campus Sept. 8-Oct. 8, 2015. A gala opening that is free and open to the public will be held Friday, Sept. 18, 2015 from 7-9 p.m. 

Planned, organized and curated by Painting Professor Richard Heipp, the exhibition includes the work of 26 artists representing each of the school’s studio areas of concentration and features a wide variety of media, styles and approaches including, video, sound, light, photography, sculpture, ceramics, painting, drawing, printmaking, graphic design, installations and collage, with works that address traditional analogue processes as well as digital imaging and 3D printing. Alumni who have received BFAs and MFAs from UF ranging from the 1960s to 2013 are featured, and 13 of the alumni included in the exhibition will be attending the opening reception. This venture represents an inaugural alumni exhibition that will take place every five years in University Gallery. 

The artists included in this year’s exhibition are:Wesley Berg, Duane Bray, Morgan & David Claytor, James Ehlers, Thaddeus Erdahl, Robert Fichter, McArthur Freeman, II, Scott Hazard, Dave Herman, Hye Young Kim, Kathy King, Mernet Larsen, Jawshing Arthur Liou, Miguel Luciano, Erika Mahr, Daniel McFarlane, Marilyn Minter, Jason Mitcham, Kymia Nawabi, Richard Ross, Matthew Schreiber, Michael Tabie, Maggie Taylor, Ken Weaver, Yang Qian and Florencio Zavala.

Associated programming:

Thursday, September 17, 2015
12-1:30 p.m.
UF Levin College of Law - Room TBA
Public Presentation/Lecture by Richard Ross
Ross is a well-known photographer and Distinguished Professor of Art at UC Santa Barbara. His visit and lecture is sponsored by the UF Levin College of Law.
http://www.juvenile-in-justice.com/

Nine years, 300 sites, 35 states and interviews with over 1,000 kids. Looking at the nadir of the American justice system and how it manifests its worst onto children and specifically children of color. The work gives audience to these children who have no voice, families that have no resources and communities with little power. It is punishing but the most rewarding work Ross has done. Although the work has been exhibited in galleries and museums, it is also given to advocates to strengthen arguments, supplement data and confirm that there are lives in the balance. The images have been shown in the U.S. Senate rotunda, the U.S. House and Senate and Supreme Court briefs. While the aesthetics are built on the tools learned in Florida, the politics were formed as a grad student in political science at Syracuse. The ongoing work is a synthesis resulting in a tool for social activism. Richard Ross is a Distinguished Professor of Art at UC Santa Barbara where he has taught since 1977.

Thursday, September 17, 2015
6-8 p.m.
REVE, Digital Worlds Institute
A series of "Ignite" presentations by nine of the artists attending
Participants will present their artwork via a limited format, 5-minute, 20-slide presentations timed at 15 seconds per slide. There will be Q+A sessions following groups of presenters.     

Friday, September 18, 2015
3-5 p.m.
Chandler Auditorium, Harn Museum of Art
Alumni panel discussion revolving around the topic "Art Life After UF"   

Friday, September 18, 2015
6­7 p.m.
Dedication of the Gary R. Libby Gallery, formerly known as Focus Gallery
This event is for University Gallery members and invited guests. University Gallery will be open for members and artists.   

Friday, September 18, 2015
7-9 p.m.
Public reception introducing the Friends of Art + Art History in University Gallery
Reception featuring the premiere of the catalog sa+ah Alumni Invitational Exhibition: Image/ Object/ Idea full-color, 75-page catalog designed by our alumni from Hatchet Design in Orlando.

Friday, September 18, 2015
9-10:30 p.m.
SA+AH alumni party on the UF College of the Arts Plaza
Featuring a benefit performance by the R. Mutt Blues Band.

About University Galleries

University Galleries is comprised of three art galleries at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville, Florida, and is an integral part of the programs and curricula of the School of Art + Art History.

University Gallery, located in Fine Arts B at the intersection of SW 13th Street and SW 4th Avenue, provides high-quality, thought-provoking exhibitions changing every two to 12 weeks that engage the university and wider community in stimulating dialogue facilitated by contemporary visual language and culture. For the past 12 years the University Gallery has collaborated with myriad UF colleges, community and regional entities in creating a trans-disciplinary venue for the visual arts. Exhibitions feature internationally-recognized artists, an annual faculty exhibition, a juried student art show and two MFA graduating thesis project shows. The 3,000-square-foot space is a lively, exciting venue that is utilized for many events throughout the academic year. University Gallery is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Thursdays: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; and Saturdays: 12 p.m.–4 p.m. The gallery is closed Mondays, Sundays and holidays.

Gary R. Libby Gallery is an 850-square-foot space that presents monthly exhibitions of student-curated exhibitions featuring student and alumni artworks. The Gary R. Libby Gallery is located adjacent to the lobby of the School of Art + Art History’s Fine Arts C. The gallery is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and is closed weekends and holidays.

Grinter Gallery is located in the lobby area of Grinter Hall. Established by an endowment from Linton and Constance Grinter, its primary mission is to present international and multicultural artwork through student curated exhibitions. Grinter Gallery is open Monday through Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. and is closed weekends and holidays.

Parking Information
Daytime parking is available in reserved spaces between Fine Arts C (FAC) and Inner Road. From SW 13th Street, enter campus on Museum Drive. Turn right on Newell Drive, then right on Inner Road. Turn left into the parking lot behind FAC. The first three spaces on the left are reserved for gallery use. Parking permits are issued to gallery visitors in the University Gallery.

For more information, please contact the University Gallery at (352) 273-3000 or visit our website at www.arts.ufl.edu/galleries.

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Media Contact
Leah Craig, APR
Public Relations and Marketing Manager
University of Florida College of the Arts
Office: 352.273.1489 | Cell: 904.419.3346 
lcraig@arts.ufl.edu