Dear AUC Art Collective Community,
What a fruitful semester this has been — full of discovery, bonding, audacity and accomplishment. This fall was full of phenomenal firsts! We launched the Roy Lichtenstein Post Baccalaureate Fellowship in Museum Professions, placing two recent Spelman graduates in positions at the High Museum of Art, who will transition to our museums on campus, the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum and the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, in August 2023. We also hosted robust field study experiences in Venice, Italy and Bentonville, Arkansas. We brought 16 students to Venice for Simone Leigh’s Loophole of Retreat, the Venice Biennale and a graduate Art History conference at Ca’ Foscari University. By all measures, this field study experience was unforgettably transformational for our students, faculty and staff, reinforcing the power of in-person networking and site-based learning! We also brought a group of students to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art for the first time, who learned about the vibrant arts scene in Bentonville through their participation in the Southeastern Museums Conference.
We have so much more in store for the spring semester. We'll be hosting our second symposium on March 2 and 3, 2023, in collaboration with the Spelman Museum on the occasion of the exhibition Black American Portraits, which opened on February 10, 2023. The symposium will bring together alumni artists, art historians and curators as well as leading figures in the field to engage with students and faculty on the history and meaning of portraiture in African American self-making. We have also joined forces with the AUC Woodruff Library to organize the inaugural AUC student-curated exhibition of AUC student artwork which will open in March 2023.
We’re delighted to announce Rachel Brown’s (Spelman C’ 2010) promotion to Associate Director, applauding her unwavering initiative and drive that has catapulted so many of our programs that inspire students to succeed! More accomplishments were celebrated amongst students, faculty and staff, as you will read below, including fellowships, publications, study abroad and more! We’re so proud of your dedication to your studies, to the field, to your peers and to transforming the art industry.
As we bid farewell to the fall semester, we're looking forward to a renewed sense of purpose during the spring semester!
Stay safe and stay tuned,
Dr. Cheryl Finley
Director and Distinguished Visiting Professor
Department of Art & Visual Culture, Spelman College
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Alexandra Nelson awarded inaugural Welancora Gallery x AUC Art Collective Academic Year Internship:
Art History major & Curatorial Studies / Spanish double minor, Alexandra Nelson will serve as the 2022-2023 Welancora Gallery x AUC Art Collective intern under the leadership of Ivy N. Jones (Clark Atlanta University, C'93), Founder & Dealer, Welancora Gallery. Alexandra will travel to three top art fairs over the course of this hybrid internship program. Image credit: Welancora Gallery
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"It is important to give the next generation of art professionals practical experience that demystifies the industry and allows young people to make informed career choices. This partnership with the Atlanta University Center Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective is the manifestation of our desire to provide a platform for young people to explore and grow into the leaders that they are capable of becoming."
- Ivy N. Jones, Founder & Dealer, Welancora Gallery
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Tenesha Carter Johnson becomes a 2022 Women of Excellence in Leadership Scholar:
Art History major & Curatorial Studies minor, Tenesha Carter Johnson completed the seven-week program at Spelman College. Graduates experienced leadership development and professional training from national experts, noted faculty, and prominent corporate partners. Read more about the Women of Excellence in Leadership Program here.
Image credit: Spelman College
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Asata Young elected First Year Class Council Secretary:
Art History major, Asata Young was elected by her peers to serve as the First Year Class Council Secretary. The council enhances the growth of the freshman class through the interaction of academic, social and spiritual activities.
Read more here.
Image credit: Asata Young
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Alexandra Nelson, Chloë Catrow, Kayla Diego and Vierra Queen awarded scholarships from the International Society of Appraisers:
Developed to introduce underrepresented groups to careers in the valuation industry, four AUC Art Collective students were awarded full NexGeneration scholarships to complete the Core Course in Appraisal Studies course, the first step in becoming a board-certified Appraiser.
November 3-4, 2022, Appraiser, Genice Lee, ASA, ISA AM, joined the Collective in Atlanta to introduce the work of the International Society of Appraisers and shared insight into her Appraisal career. Pictured: [Top] Lee joined a studio visit with Charly Palmer and shared appraisal considerations for artists. [Bottom] Lee spoke to Curatorial Studies students about art valuation in curatorial work.
Image credit: Rachel Brown
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Jade Foreman presents during IFPDA Print Month:
Art History / Spanish double major Jade Foreman participated in the Third Annual International Fine Print Dealers Association's Print Month in October. In addition to attending the fair in New York, Jade co-presented on the panel, Starting a Career in Prints and Printmaking (Everything You Always Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask) with Niels Borch Jensen, Founder, BORCH Editions Gallery & Printmaking studio and Printmaster. In Summer 2022, Jade was the inaugural AUC Art Collective / IFPDA intern and worked at BORCH Editions in Berlin, DE and Copenhagen, DK. Watch the full talk here.
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Jade Foreman, Spelman College; Jenny Gibbs, Executive Director, IFPDA and Jennifer Mack Watkins (Morris Brown College C'2002), Artist and Educator at the IFPDA Print Fair in October 2022. Image credit: Jade Foreman
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Jade Foreman during her Summer 2022 internship at Borch Editions Printmaking studio in Copenhagen, DK. Image credit: Jade Foreman
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Ashaanti Hornsby, Alexandra Nelson, Chloë Catrow, Kaniah Pearson, Kayla Golden and Treasure Wray join Curatorial team for Ballethnic's Urban Nutcracker:
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AUC Art Collective students joined a team of AUC students*, staff and The Radical Archive of Preservation to curate The Urban Nutcracker & Ballethnic’s Archival Project. They conducted interviews; worked with the Auburn Avenue Research Library, Arts Clayton, and the Spelman Archives for 3 months, opening the show on December 9, 2022 at Morehouse College’s King Chapel. Dr. shady Radical, Visiting Assistant Professor, Art History directed the project.
*Additional student participants include Ananda Jamison, Eve Ellis, Dakota Garner, Kaitlyn Bowman, Kennedy Dunning and Lillie Schultz. Read more information here.
Image credit: shady Radical
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"Not only was it great to witness students applying the creative strategies we studied in class, but I was also able to learn more about their interests and aspirations. I believe these types of projects outside of the classroom offer additional opportunities to expose students to overlooked careers in costuming and curating."
- shady Radical, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor, Art History, Spelman College
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Tempe Stewart and Menkhu-ta Whaley named Lichtenstein Fellows:
Tempe Stewart (Spelman College, C'2022), Art History major and Menkhu-ta Whaley (Spelman College, C'2022), Sociology/Anthropology major were both awarded The Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship in Museum Professions. Established by the AUC Art Collective in 2021 with a grant from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, two fellowships support AUC graduates pursuing art museum careers. Image credit: The High Museum of Art
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Ming Washington shapes inaugural Atlanta Art Week:
Ming Washington (Spelman College C'2022), Art History major / Curatorial Studies minor served as the Social Media Strategy and VIP Relations member of Atlanta Art Week's (AAW) planning committee. AAW is a new initiative that celebrates the visual arts and aims to bring awareness to the contemporary art scene in Atlanta. Founded by Kendra Walker, the week was organized by ten black women leaders in the arts. Read more information here.
Image credit: Ming Washington
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Christian Bryant returns to encourage Art Business careers:
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Christian Bryant (Morehouse College C'2022), Art History major / Curatorial Studies minor joined the Sotheby's Associates Rotational Program upon graduation, focusing on branded luxury. He returned to the AUC with colleagues in September to speak about the program and lead a Q & A with current students.
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Kyrie Blackman wins symposium spot:
Art History scholar, Kyrie Blackman (Morehouse College C'2021) and mentee of Program Director, Dr. Cheryl Finley won a Dewey Lee Curtis Symposium Scholarship from The Decorative Arts Trust to attend their biannual symposia. The event combines lectures by leading decorative arts experts with behind-the-scenes tours of museums and historic sites and special visits to private collections. Read more here. Image credit: Kyrie Blackman, painting by Kehinde Wiley.
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Dr. Abayomi Ola attends the African Studies Association's Annual Meeting, the largest gathering of Africanist scholars in the world . Read more information here.
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Welcome Dr. shady Radical, Visiting Assistant Professor, Art History!
shady Radical, CA, Ph.D. is a performance archivist and the founder of The Radical Archive of Preservation. Her practice is grounded in ritual, resistance, and movement practices and works with creative professionals on preserving their work. She uses exhibition and performance to pull anarchival material out of bodies to activate silences and erasures attributed to forms of subjugation.
shady earned her Ph.D. from Georgia State University’s Moving Image Studies program; M.A. in Curatorial Studies from New York University; and B.A. in Art History from The College of Saint Elizabeth. Her professional experience includes working at Tyler Perry Studios, Atlanta Contemporary, writing for Oz Magazine and serving as Assistant Chair for the Society of Georgia Archivists’ Education Committee.
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The field study program brings Art History and Curatorial Studies students into the field to engage artists and arts professionals across the country, and around the world. Students traveled to Venice, Italy; Bentonville, Arkansas and Montgomery, Alabama in the fall.
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(Top three) Images from Art Insider Bentonville & the Southeastern Museums Conference (October 23-25, 2022): Students and Dr. Cheryl Finley at the Southeastern Museums Conference with Museum professionals; Spelman student, Kaniah Pearson gets a professional headshot at the conference; Students tour the galleries at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Image credit: Southeastern Museums Conference & Chloe Catrow.
(Middle two) Images from Curating Social Justice in Montgomery (November 9, 2022): Students visit the Equal Justice Initiative's Legacy Museum; Participants meet Bryan Stevenson, Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative.
(Bottom four) Images from Art Insider: Venice (October 3-10, 2022): Students, faculty & staff at the Arsenale site of the Biennale; Participants at Simone Leigh's Brick House, 2019; Students presenting during the Loophole of Retreat symposium and students, faculty, staff and AUC alumni at the Arsenale site of the Biennale.
Image credit: Rachel Brown & Cheryl Finley
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AUC Art Collective students join the campus community for a variety of co-curricular events, highlighting the interdisciplinarity between Art History, Curatorial Studies and other major areas of study.
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(Top to bottom, left to right) The AUC Art Collective, Bonner Offices of Community Service and the Atlanta Beltline partnered for the second annual, Public Art as Community Building, community service event (November 19, 2022); theo tyson, Curator of Fashion Arts, MFA Boston traveled to the AUC for a two-day visit, On Curating Fashion (October 27-28, 2022) connecting fashion and curatorial studies through talks, portfolio reviews and tours. Watch the student panel here.; the AUC Art Collective attended FACE Teen Talk (September 19, 2022), an event of Fulton County Arts & Culture's Fashion Art Culture & Education initiative; Students visited the studio of Atlanta-based artist, Charly Palmer (November 3, 2022); Artist, Lava Thomas led a tour of her show Lava Thomas: Homecoming at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art (August 26, 2022). Image credit: Rachel Brown
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THE EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAM IN ART HISTORY &
CURATORIAL STUDIES
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The Early College Program (June 16 – July 14, 2023) is a co-educational program designed to encourage rising junior and senior high school students of color to pursue undergraduate studies in Art History and Curatorial Studies. The Summer 2023 application opened on February 1, 2023.
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Atlanta University Center alumni in the visual arts making their mark!
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Clark Atlanta University alumna, Loria Oliver and Morehouse College alumnus, Derek Fordjour join the AUC Art Collective's External Advisory Group.
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Loria Oliver, Director Of Development and Membership, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art & The Momentary
Image credit: Northwest Arkansas Chapter of The Links, Incorporated
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Derek Fordjour, Artist and Founder, Contemporary Arts Memphis
Image credit : Jason Schmidt
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The AUC Art Collective and Spelman College Museum of Fine Art have partnered for the second Art History + Curatorial Studies symposium, entitled, Black American Portraits, taking place in-person, March 2-3, 2023.
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Want to request program materials for your students or colleagues? Request free program materials today!
We offer postcards, flyers, mailers and brochures:
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The Atlanta University Center Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective is the first and only undergraduate program in the nation specifically designed to educate the next generation of visual arts professionals of color.
With the generous support of the Alice L. Walton Foundation, we offer a major in Art History and minors in Curatorial Studies and Art History to students at Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College.
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