Calendar of Events

Open to the Public
Location: Ingram Studio Art Center Gallery (Google map of this location)

The Vanderbilt University Department of Art is proud to welcome two new exhibitions into Space 204. Yuja by Vanderbilt alumnus Jean Kang, recipient of the prestigious Margaret Stonewall Wooldridge Hamblet award in 2011, and The Dreams of Architects and Poets by the artist and painter Jered Sprecher will be on display from Thursday, Jan. 17, through Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.

As recipient of the 2011 Margaret Stonewall Wooldridge Hamblet award, Kang's prize was earmarked for a year of art research and travel, culminating in a solo show in Space 204. For Kang, the year saw her dedicating herself to her art while attending the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) Post Baccalaureate in Fine Arts program. Calling the experience "invaluable," Kang said the Hamblet award provided her the means to "greatly expand upon my ability to view the world in a more open and thoughtful manner."

Kang's show, Yuja, a term meaning female or woman in Korean, is a collection of drawings, prints and installation developed during a time of reflection for Kang. "In this period of personal confrontation, I established ideas about my self as a female and as a Korean American. My work evolved out of observations of the body, the mind, and my cultural heritage. More specifically," she continued, "I reflected upon my experiences regarding these elements which can act both contentiously and harmoniously. Through these works, I explored the nuances of identity, and with Yuja, I came to an understanding about the complexities of my personal identification and the ever-evolving nature of this concept."

Also reflective, Jered Sprecher's paintings "grasp a single moment, a glance, a small epiphany." The associate professor of Art at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville describes his art in this way: "I am a hunter and a gatherer, constantly accumulating images produced by the people and cultures around me. Segments of this collection of images then emerge in my paintings. My work shows images that are revealed as fragments in the midst of change, destruction, redefinition, and restoration."

A 2009 Guggenheim Fellow, Sprecher has had solo exhibitions at Jeff Bailey Gallery in New York, Wendy Cooper Gallery in Chicago, Steven Zevitas Gallery in Boston, Kinkead Contemporary in Los Angeles, and Gallery 16 in San Francisco. His work has also exhibited at The Drawing Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Bronx River Art Center, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Des Moines Art Center, Weatherspoon Museum of Art, and the Knoxville Museum of Art. Sprecher participated in the Artist Residency Program at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin and the Marie Walsh Sharpe Space Program, New York. He has also taught at Princeton University and Cornell University.

For more information, contact The Department of Art at 615-343-7241 or visit www.vanderbilt.edu/arts.