WASHINGTON – Two annual art exhibitions curated by the Howard University Department of Art are now being presented virtually, for the first time ever. The Annual Art Graduates Exhibition and the 50th Annual Faculty Exhibition are both on display virtually through July 31, 2020. 

While the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic prohibits access to the physical gallery space at the University, the Department is unwavering in its dedication to forge an innovative future while honoring its legacy. The exhibitions are presented in virtual 3D gallery spaces that viewers “walk” through using computers or mobile devices. Forty artworks from 16 faculty members are presented in the Faculty Exhibition, including ceramics, paintings, digital videos, journal articles, commercial design, fashion design, sculpture, illustration and photography. Additionally, 35 artworks from 10 graduates (five recipients of the Master of Fine Arts degree and five recipients of the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree) are on display in the Art Graduates Exhibition, including paintings, illustrations, fashion design, photography and animations. Both exhibitions bear witness to the Department’s tenacious perseverance to share these artistic creations with the world. 

“I congratulate Professor Reginald Pointer, interim chair of the Department of Art, the curators, Professors Alexander McSwain and Dr. Miriam Ahmed, and all the art faculty for coordinating this amazing feat of virtual creativity,” says Associate Dean of the Division of Fine Arts Lisa Farrington, Ph.D.

The Annual Art Graduates Exhibition represents achievements unique to the class of 2020, who steadfastly and resolutely completed their final semester at Howard remotely. As they embark upon lifelong journeys as ambassadors of visual communication, they join the ranks of notable Department of Art alumni, including James A. Porter, Alma Thomas, Elizabeth Catlett, David C. Driskell, Earl J. Hooks, Malkia Roberts, Houston Conwill and Jamea Richmond Edwards.

“We extend congratulations to our graduating Class of 2020 who have demonstrated their pursuit of excellence and set the bar high for generations to follow,” says Department of Art Interim Chair Reginald Pointer.

The 50^th Faculty Exhibition marks a significant milestone in the history of the Department of Art. Since its founding in 1921, exemplary faculty have progressively advanced the visual art discourse. Faculty members have served as a fount of artistic knowledge for cultural trends and cutting-edge creative technologies in facilitating the highest quality of artistic skills, scholarly research, and critical visual commentary. The Department builds on the traditions of legacy artist-scholars, including James V. Herring and James A. Porter, as well as those whose artworks inaugurated the first faculty exhibitions, such as Loïs Mailou Jones, Albert V. Carter, Jeff Donaldson, Alexander “Skunder” Boghossian, Ed Love, and Tritobia Hayes Benjamin.

As part of both exhibitions, the Department of Art is acknowledging an In Memoriam to its late faculty members Floyd W. Coleman (1939-2018), Raymond G. Dobard (1947-2019), Michael B. Platt (1948-2019), and David C. Driskell (1931-2020) for their notable contributions to Howard and the art world.

The Department plans to host a series of virtual artist talks over the next few weeks. On Wednesdays, at 10 a.m., there will be a 10-minute presentation by an individual artist, or a conversation between an artist and an interviewer. Each Artist Talk will happen on Zoom. For more information on the 2020 Art Graduates Exhibition, the 50^th Annual Faculty Exhibition and the accompanying Artist Talks, visit www.art.howard.edu.

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About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 70 Fulbright Scholars. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.

Media contact: Ramzey Smith, Office of University Communications, ramzey.smith@howard.edu