If These Walls Could Talk Brings Site-Specific Murals to SECCA
OPENING RECEPTION THURSDAY 5–8PM

Join us this Thursday, September 21 from 5–8pm as SECCA’s Potter Gallery comes to life with If These Walls Could Talk, an exhibition of site-specific mural installations by William Downs, Neka King, and Raj Bunnag, on view September 21 through December 31 in SECCA’s Potter Gallery. The opening reception is free and open to the public, with remarks at 6:45pm and a Q&A with the artists and curator Maya Brooks at 7pm.

For centuries, murals served as visual representations of complex social and political commentary in accessible spaces. Creatives placed their work on public structures, in civic centers, among other prominent areas, to communicate relevant critiques of everyday life. This documentation of contemporary issues connected individual experiences across race, gender, and religion, providing a tangible record of shared existence.

If These Walls Could Talk upholds the relationship between mural art and public institutions with site-specific works by Durham, NC–based artist Raj Bunnag and Atlanta, GA–based artists William Downs and Neka King. Each of these artists engages graphic techniques that range from line drawing to printmaking, paralleling traditional mural applications that require affixing materials directly onto a wall. Ultimately, their stylized depictions of people and landscapes envelop viewers in an illustrative social analysis of present and sometimes future concepts.

If These Walls Could Talk also marks the Winston-Salem curatorial debut of Maya Brooks, the assistant curator of contemporary art serving both SECCA and the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. “I am most excited about this exhibition because it builds upon a long-standing human tradition of sharing ideas and building communities through public expression,” said Brooks. “Although distinctly contemporary in style and focus, this exhibition feels timeless because of the artists’ ability to reference the different layers of history that have altered our present and, possibly, our future experiences.”

Congratulations to Peter Hoffman (MFA 2019) on being named a Knight/Wallace Fellow by the University of Michigan Wallace House! From the announcement:

The Wallace House Center for Journalists and the University of Michigan are pleased to announce the 2023-2024 class of Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellows. This cohort of 19 accomplished journalists marks the 50th class of Fellows in the program’s history.

Representing nine countries and a broad cross-section of the U.S., the Fellows will pursue ambitious journalism projects, audit courses at the university and participate in weekly seminars with journalism leaders, renowned scholars, media innovators and social change agents. Most seminars will take place at Wallace House, a gift from the late newsman Mike Wallace and his wife, Mary, and the program’s home base.

“These journalists and their compelling range of projects reflect the breadth of challenges journalists must understand – from the far-reaching societal impacts of climate change, to the rise of social media-fueled disinformation, to the unique challenges of reporting from countries ensnared in media crackdowns, wars or rampant violence,” said Lynette Clemetson, Director of Wallace House. “Now more than ever, the work of these and all journalists is essential to protecting and expanding democratic values. We are honored to support them.”

After a three-year pause on international news tours caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Wallace House plans to travel with this year’s cohort to South Korea in February 2024 to learn more about the country’s changing media environment and engage with its political and social landscape.

The fellowship started in 1973 with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. This class will be joined by alumni from several decades in September 2023 for a weekend reunion honoring the history of the fellowship and the hundreds of journalists from around the world with ties to the program.

Wallace House’s Knight-Wallace Fellowship program is funded through endowment gifts from foundations, news organizations, individuals, and ongoing contributions from funders committed to journalism’s role in fostering an informed and engaged public.

Peter Hoffman is an independent documentary photographer who has reported on environmental and climate issues for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Bloomberg Businessweek and others. He will combine photography and narrative storytelling to explore the challenges of stewarding southeast Michigan watersheds– the primary, and often compromised, source of drinking water for numerous communities.

Congratulations to MFA alumna Jessica Dupuis, who has just been promoted to rank of Associate Professor at UNC-Pembroke and also received tenure! Great work Jessica!

Read about how an ancient art course in the department changed Kelly’s career path here: Five Questions with Kelly Baum

Greetings! I was away in the UK last year on a Fulbright Scholar Award — Our Disappearing Darkness and Recreating Prehistoric Night — and am continuing to work on it now that I’m back in the U.S. I will be using the night images I created last winter in Cornwall of prehistoric megaliths as part of an art installation piece to evoke a bodily experience of darkness as counterpoint to the ubiquitous light pollution we experience at night now, with its deleterious effects on body, mind, and soul.

I’m presently collecting people’s stories of night and/or darkness to incorporate into the piece. And for that, I’d love to hear from you! It could be just a feeling you once had in the dark, or it could be a podcast’s worth of story. No experience is too small or too big! I look forward to hearing whatever you have to tell me about your experiences of night (or darkness–several people have mentioned cave experiences to me). We can do it in person if you’re in central North Carolina, or we can do it virtually. Just reply to this email, and we can set up a time ❤️. Or if you’re an online calendar buff, I’ve just created a “Let’s Talk Darkness!” Calendly sign-up calendar for Thursday, Dec 8th—Tuesday, Dec 13th as a test to see if that format is useful to people.

In other news, the tomato “holiday” cards are back!  The Studio Store, after a year’s hiatus, is back with the End of Season Tomatoes card as well as many others. Details and ordering are at mjsharp.bigcartel.com. Before the end of the year, I will likely be adding a few vintage prints from my studio flat files as well as some artist proofs of recent images to the store. I tend to send those updates via my Instagram account if that’s something you do.

With warm regards and best holiday wishes, MJ

Our Disappearing Darkness 2021/2022 Fulbright Project
MJ Sharp | MJCornwall@mjsharp.com | www.mjsharp.com |Studio Store

On view now.

How Does It End
Friday, September 23 | 6-8 pm
Oneoneone
601 W. Rosemary Street, Suite 111
Chapel Hill, NC

Image: Descendent, 2016-2022, mixed media, 64 5/8 x 80 3/4 inches

BASEMENT X PEEL

Fundraiser Exhibition Event

Opening Reception: Friday, September 9th at Peel.

Closing Reception: Saturday, September 24th at BASEMENT.

BASEMENT X PEEL will be on view at both BASEMENT and Peel from Friday, September 9th until Saturday, September 24th. Peel will host an opening reception and silent auction on Friday, September 9th from 6-9 pm, during the Carrboro, Chapel Hill 2nd Friday Art Walk, with refreshments in the parking lot and live music. BASEMENT will host a closing reception and silent auction on Saturday, September 24th from 6-9 pm with “A STANK/STINK Outdoor Happenings,” a performance art experience.

All work in the exhibition will be available for purchase via both traditional sale and silent auction during both receptions and during all open hours of the exhibition at both locations. All proceeds from sales will go to supporting BASEMENT and Peel programming.

BASEMENT Open Hours: 9/10 & 9/11 and 9/17 & 9/18 from 2-5 pm

BASEMENT address: 605 Caswell Rd. Chapel Hill, NC (stairs to BASEMENT on left of driveway)

Featuring work by Adriana Ameigh // Alissa Van Atta // Allison Tierney //Anna-Christina De La Iglesia // Ashlie Johnson Coggins // Ayla Gizlice David D’Agostino // Dawn Colsia // Emma Stevens // Fabrizio Bianchi // Georgia Paige Welch // Hillary Ensminger // Hồng-Ân Trương // Jean Gray Mohs // Jenn Adams // Jimmy Fountain // John Shaw // Jon Neal // Jonh Blanco // Joy Drury Cox // Jphono1 // Leah Foushee Waller // Madeleine Grace Popkin // Madison Speyer // Mark Allen Soderstrom // Mark Anthony Brown Jr. // Marsha Glickman // Matthew Tauch // Natasja Brezenski // Nathaniel Quinn // Paget Fink // Paul Deblinger // Peg Bachenheimer // Rachel Moon // River Cortes // Rusty Shackleford // Serena Fenton // Shelley Smith // Sterling Bowen // Tama Hochbaum // Toni Hartley // Tricia Russ // Gadisse Lee // Jiahn Kang // Lindsay Metivier

At the sixth annual Southern Prize and State Fellowships award ceremony held at the Bo Bartlett Center in Columbus, GA yesterday evening, Louisiana artist Hannah Chalew was named the 2022 Southern Prize winner receiving an award of $25,000. The Southern Prize Finalist, receiving a $10,000 award, is Tennessee artist Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo. Both Southern Prize recipients also receive a two-week residency at the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences.

They are among the nine State Fellowship recipients, each of whom received a $5,000 award, currently featured in an exhibition on display at the Bo Bartlett Center through December 10, 2022, before touring to additional locations across the region next year.

“Congratulations to Hannah, Sarah, and all of this year’s State Fellowship recipients,” said Neil Barclay, board chair for South Arts. “This cohort of artists represents the diversity in voices, thought, technique, and style of our region, and we are honored to support their work with these awards.”

The nine 2022 Southern Prize and State Fellowship recipients are:

• Jenny Fine. Multidisciplinary. Alabama Fellow.
• GeoVanna Gonzalez. Multidisciplinary. Florida Fellow.
• Antonio Darden. Sculpture. Georgia Fellow.
• Crystal Gregory. Sculpture. Kentucky Fellow.
• Hannah Chalew. Mixed Media. Louisiana Fellow and Southern Prize Winner.
• Gloria Gipson Suggs. Painting. Mississippi Fellow.
• Marcus Dunn. Painting. North Carolina Fellow.
• Brittany M. Watkins. Mixed Media. South Carolina Fellow.
• Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo. Sculpture. Tennessee Fellow and Southern Prize Finalist.

Congratulations to the following Art History alumni who are all starting new positions!

Recent PhD alumna Rachel Ozerkevich has received a two-year teaching position at Kenyon College.

BA alumna Hallie Ringle was appointed Chief Curator of ICA Philadelphia.

BA alumna Maya Brooks was appointed Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the NCMA.

MA alumna Julianne Miao was appointed a Curatorial Assistant for the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.

Congratulations to M.A. Alumna Caitlin Swindell, who just started as the Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami! We wish you all the best on this new and exciting career adventure.