Exhibitions 2023 - 2024
Magical Seeing
14 September - 15 October 2023
Photography
Karen Commings, Kathleen Gerber, Emmanuel Monzon, Thomas Maher, Lori Nix
Luke Wynne - Curator
The group of photographers, Tom Maher, Emmanuel Monzon, Karen Commings, Lori Nix & Kathleen Gerber explore different aspects of the world in the viewfinder. These five artists give us different landscapes, cityscapes and dreamscapes to challenge and delight us. It is their use of Magical Seeing which offers viewers a rich tapestry to engage. Tom Maher has endeavored to use his lens to isolate and memorialize slices of the visual landscape. Emmanuel Monzon chooses man-made landscapes and a cool color palette to deliver un-peopled dream-like vistas. Karen Commings chooses to weave her work in the blackness of night as she points her lens at the nightscapes of Harrisburg, PA. The team of Lori Nix & Kathleen Gerber build elaborate dystopian tableaus, which they photograph, to comment on modern-day society.
These photographers employ the process of lens and camera to pick and choose what and how their worlds are seen. It is a view that we may have walked by but did not see. It is a view that is daring and provocative. It is a view worth investigation. It is “magical seeing”.
Chakaia Booker
26 October - 10 December 2023
Sculpture and Chine-collé
Workshop/Residency with Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop
November 10th & 11th
Chakaia Booker is an internationally renowned artist, who works in monumental sculpture and smaller media, including printmaking, focusing largely on Chine-collé. Her work is often inspired by her experiences as a black woman in America, and she uses her art to explore themes of identity, race, and gender. Booker has exhibited across the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Booker's art is often made from found objects. She transforms materials, such as tires, chains, and other industrial discards of the modern world, into powerful and evocative sculptures that speak to the social and political issues of our time. As with her innovative sculptures, Booker's Chine-collé prints are also made from found objects. Chine-collé, however, is a traditional printmaking technique, one that bonds a delicate surface (which pulls finer details off the printing plate) over a heavier layer (which provides support and can even introduce a background color behind the printed image).
Regardless of the delicacy of the upper of Chine-collé's two-layered paper, the found objects that Booker collages onto it create intricate and visually arresting images. These prints often depict figures and objects associated with African American culture, such as the abstract designs of kente cloth and African masks.
This exhibition brings together in a single presentation Booker's sculpture and Chine-collé prints. The juxtaposition of these two media allows us to see her in a new light. Sculpture provides a physical presence that prints cannot, while prints offer a more intimate and personal view of an artist's work. When seen together they offer us a powerful look at Booker and her artistic explorations of race, gender, and identity.
Biennial Faculty Show
18 January - 25 February 2024
Payne Gallery presents the Biennial Faculty Show featuring the work of the Moravian University’s Art Department faculty members. This exhibition is a testament to the creativity and dedication of the art faculty and their practice. Their work is a vital contribution to the cultural landscape of our community, our campus, and our students. Individually, the Art faculty exhibit their work in national and international venues; the Biennial Faculty Show is a unique opportunity to view their new work collectively.
Three Hundred Years
7 March - 7 April
The Moravian Legacy of Education, Community, and Tradition (1724-2024)
Cory Dieterly - Curator
This exhibition commemorates the Moravian’s three hundred year commitment to education, from the renewed Church’s first school for children established in Herrnhut, Germany in 1724 to the present day Moravian University in Bethlehem, PA. The exhibition will feature a variety of objects and artifacts that illustrate the Moravian University's dedication to education and tradition. These objects include antiquities, books, manuscripts, musical instruments, artwork, and rarely seen archival photographs. The exhibition will also feature didactic material that allow visitors to learn more about the Moravian Church's educational philosophy and the various traditions (expressed through music, food, and festivities) which unite the spirits of persons from globally disparate Moravian communities.
Senior Thesis Exhibition
18 April - 4 May
The Senior Thesis Exhibition is the culminating experience of the art major, whereby students in Studio, Photo and New Media, Graphic and Interactive Design, Art Education, and Art History develop a strong cohesive body of work. The exhibition represents four years of hard work and commitment.
Hours
Payne Gallery is open noon to 4p.m. daily except Mondays, major holidays, and college breaks.
Moravian University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Dave Leidich in the Payne Gallery at leidichd@moravian.edu.