News

New Acquisition: Nicholas Galanin

Written by:

February 16th, 2022

Nicholas Galanin monotype
We are excited to announce our acquisition of Nicholas Galanin's Dreaming in English (like our ancestors moved), one of nine monotypes created for our exhibition, Nicholas Galanin: Dreaming in English. We technically have two pieces on campus from Galanin right now: one temporary, one permanent. Unshadowed Land is a year-long outdoor work meant to transform a soil silhouette of Andrew Jackson into a garden of Catawba corn, recognizing the settler history of the Carolinas while celebrating the resilience of indigenous people. This first piece is meant to grow, to weather, and finally — when no longer visible — to rest...
Read More

Marquia standing in front of one of her paintings with her arms raised.
Formed at the intersection of social and physical environments is community. As an overarching theme in my work, I'm fascinated by parallel developments of communities and the individuals that represent them. Connected to my personal experience, my artwork often relates to Black identity and existence. Shifting between two-dimensional and three-dimensional work, I explore moments when an individual shapes their environment — both social and physical — while simultaneously being shaped themselves. Hometown? Maple Hill, North Carolina What is your primary medium? Mixed media. What was the inspiration for your show? My show is a collection of stories/experiences I’ve learned in classes or...
Read More

Sarah Jackson ’22 | In the world of.

Written by:

February 8th, 2022

In nature, the Mangrove is a physical link between land and sea – creating a connection between two disparate landscapes while dividing them at the same time. I create large scale works of Mangroves that when displayed aim to create an overwhelming environment of images that move between creation and disruption. Growing up in Johannesburg I would drive to school and see people living on the streets, less than 5 minutes away from my house – this was a normal, everyday experience. Johannesburg is made up of contrasting areas bordering one another – the landscapes are connected by proximity but...
Read More

Translatio Imperii, Afghanistan, 2018, 2019 Oil on paper, vintage frame, acrylic, brass7 x 8.5 inchesCourtesy of the Artist and Patricia Sweetow Gallery, San Francisco, CaliforniaPhoto: Peter Paul Geoffrion We are excited to announce the acquisition of Liên Trương’s painting Translatio Imperii, Afghanistan, 2018, that was featured in our exhibition Liên Trương: From the Earth Rise Radiant Beings this past fall. Afghanistan is one of six small paintings we exhibited from Trương’s series, Translatio Imperii. Surrounded by an ornate, matte black frame, the work is a depiction of Afghanistan being bombed in 2018. Only a glimpse of the scene is visible,...
Read More

True Likeness Traveling Exhibit

Written by:
December 10th, 2021
The Van Every Smith Galleries 2020 True Likeness exhibit opened at the Van Every Smith Galleries on October 29, 2020. The exhibit was co-curated by Lia Newman, Davidson’s gallery director and curator, and Tom Stanley, an artist and independent curator. Take the virtual tour of the exhibit here. The curatorial statement notes “True Likeness presents an exhibition of contemporary portraits from diverse makers in a variety of media including video, photography, painting, collage, installation, sculpture, printmaking, and drawing. Artists, some familiar, others more on the fringe of the art world, hail from all over the United States. Their own identities, and...
Read More