The MTSU Department of Art and Design will host a duo of collaborative exhibits curated by Dr. Barbara and Mr. Leroy Hodges entitled Collective Memories: Creative Expressions Through Contemporary Art and Words to Live By.
Scheduled to remain on display through Nov. 21 in the Todd Art Gallery, the exhibits share the main gallery and finish the department’s fall exhibition calendar.
“Collective memory spans nations, cultures and generations,” Leroy Hodges said when asked to describe the Collective Memories effort. “This collaboration brings together sculptures, paintings and works on paper by local, regional and national artists embracing and showcasing their creative expressions of collective memories through contemporary art.”
Jimi Hendrix by James Threalkill; Ermias by Destiney Powell
He aims for the viewer to see artwork that tells stories spanning personal and cultural memories that are open to interpretation, then to reorient the past, not as a fixed narrative but as a multiplicity of voices from differing viewpoints. Works in the exhibit range from a vibrancy of color, subtle abstraction, a gamut of textures, provocative images, mixed media, surrealism, figurative and layered landscapes.
Words to Live By showcases the artistry found from a broad spectrum of senior adults, veterans and community youth. The work conveys the creatively and visually expressive interpretations of how words, phrases, quotes and sayings significantly influenced their lives. Exploring the transformative nature of words, this group of art gives a voice to the voiceless intending to inspire, engage, educate and empower each viewer. These words and art span nations, communities, cultures, and generations, establishing a relationship between the companion exhibits.
The Royal Court Sir Brandon the Great by Donna Woodley; Unthinkable by Jason Watkins
“We hope these art exhibits give a voice to those who desire to be boundless by words,” Hodges said.
Participating artists include Michael McBride, James Threalkill, Dayo Johnson, Diane Stockard, Carlton Wilkinson, Lakesha Moore, Lisa Sims, Leroy Hodges, Barbara Hodges, Lloyd DeBerry, Roger Smith, Henry Jones, DeeDee Potter, Destiney Powell, Mary Watkins, Jamaal Sheats, Jennifer McGuire, LaRonda Angelisa, Ginny Toygre, George Nock, Walter Pope, Michael Mucker, Thaxton Waters, Suzanne LeBeau, Robert Orr Jr., Xavier Payne, Daniel Arite, Donna Mag, Heliose Shiltat, Elisheba Israel, Omar Booker and Robert Miranda.
Admission to the Todd Art Gallery is free and the venue is open to the public Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. For parking, directions or other questions, contact 615-898-5532 or eric.snyder@mtsu.edu.
