Fall 2023 NewsletterWelcome back! In the new academic year, the Office of the Vice Provost for Arts & Libraries (VPAL) continues its mission of advancing and expanding the role of visual, performing, and literary arts at Vanderbilt University and beyond. We oversee the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries; the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery; the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy; the Vanderbilt University Press; and the Engine for Arts, Democracy, and Justice. We support Vanderbilt’s arts, archives, and libraries-related activities through local, national, and global partnerships. VPAL wishes everyone a great start to the new semester!
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Programs from VPAL
Stay tuned for more info to come on these upcoming programs!
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OZ Arts Partnership
As part of VPAL's new partnership with OZ Arts, we will be offering a limited number of free tickets to students, faculty, and staff to two performances this semester:
- October 20 & 21 The "Hedwig" Star Sings Out for LGBTQ Justice: A Benefit for ACLU of Tennessee
- November 9 Rennie Harris Puremovement's Rome & Jewels: A hip-hop dance adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet
We will provide transportation to participating students and an opportunity to meet Rome & Jewel dancers before the performance. More information to come on getting these tickets. You will not want to miss this opportunity!
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International Artist Glory Samjolly Visits Vanderbilt
As part of the Global Scholars in Residence program, London-based artist Glory Samjolly will be visiting Vanderbilt from October 23 - October 28. Samjolly is a figurative painter and founder of the Black Aristocrat Art blog. You are invited to two signature events with the artist:
- Tuesday, October 24, 12:30 p.m. Outdoor Art Demo with the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery
- Plein-air painting session on Peabody Lawn, registration information to come
- Wednesday, October 25, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. Race, Figurative Art, and Representation: A Conversation with Glory Samjolly
- Discussion moderated by Claudine Taaffe, the Associate Chair of African American and Diaspora Studies, in the Central Library Community Room with lunch provided
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Faculty & Staff Spotlight
Sara Lee Burd on the Digitization of the Delia Zapata Olivella Collection
For this semester’s faculty and staff spotlight, we are highlighting Archivist Sara Lee Burd and her work in the processing and digitization of the Delia Zapata Olivella collection. This collection documents the personal life and career of Delia Zapata Olivella (1926 – 2001), who was an ethnographer, dancer, choreographer, professor, and Colombian folklorist. In spring 2023, Sara presented the collection at the 51st Annual Art Librarians Society of North America (ARLIS) conference in Mexico City. Sara has worked across Vanderbilt’s campus: assisting with Development and Alumni Relations, coordinating at the Curb Center, teaching in Human Organization and Development, and currently archiving in the Heard Library’s Special Collections.
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Community Spotlight
Nashville Film Festival
The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm) is a globally recognized nonprofit organization and cultural event presenting the best in world cinema, American independent films, and documentaries by veteran masters, up-and-coming directors, and first-time filmmakers. With Academy Award® qualifying status, the Nashville Film Festival celebrates innovation, music, and the many voices of the human spirit through the art of film. NashFilm discovers, elevates, and honors filmmakers, screenwriters, and musicians from around the world while engaging, connecting, and strengthening the Nashville community. Originally founded in 1969, the Nashville Film Festival is one of the first film festivals in the United States and will host its 54th festival from September 28-October 4, 2023.
This year, Vanderbilt University is partnering with NashFilm to provide two of the festival's venues, Rothschild Blackbox Theatre and Sarratt Cinema. This partnership and the screening of the documentary Black Barbie and the short film Le retour des femmes colibris/Return of the Hummingbird Women is made possible through the Office of the Vice Provost of Arts & Libraries.
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JAM COMICS - Building Community Panel by Panel with Amy Kuttab
The Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery invites you to join local artist Amy Kuttab for a guided session on comics making, storytelling, and community building. Amy’s sessions allow artists of all levels to produce comic panels. Students cartoon in the round, drawing one panel and then passing the panel to the next person. Each multi-panel cartoon is the work of many makers and each panel prompts a response from the next artist. No drawing or cartooning experience is required. Amy Kuttab is offering two comic-making sessions, each with distinct prompts. Session 1 will be on Tuesday, August 29 at 12:30 p.m., and the second session will be on Tuesday, September 5 at 12:30. These sessions will be located inside Cohen Memorial Hall.
This event is part of the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery's weekly Art for Lunch series, which offers ways to explore and make art that responds to the Gallery's collection. Art for Lunch takes place every Tuesday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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Shaman in the Loop: Space 204 Exhibition & Opening ReceptionSpace 204 will open the 2023–24 academic exhibition year with an exhibition from Nashville-based artist Chalet Comellas and collaborator Clint Sleeper. ‘Shaman in the Loop’ will be on view from August 24 to September 21, 2023, with an artist reception on August 31, 2023, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m
‘Shaman in the Loop’ features a multidisciplinary work derived through computational abstraction and addresses spirituality and ritual alongside technology.
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Exhibition: The History of EADJ 2018-2023The Engine for Art, Democracy and Justice (EADJ), founded by Dr. María Magdalena Campos-Pons as part of her appointment as Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair Professor of Fine Arts, is a trans-institutional partnership between The Frist Art Museum, Fisk University, and Millions of Conversations that ignites conversation at the intersection of Art, Democracy and Justice. EADJ will host the exhibition, The History of EADJ 2018 - 2023, in Begonia Labs, a site for activations and exhibitions situated next to Vanderbilt University's campus and in proximity to major museums and partners. This is a historical exhibition sharing details about the history of the EADJ project since its inception in 2018. This exhibition consists of poster boards and video projections of various EADJ projects. The exhibition will run August 31st-September 29th, 2023. You are invited to view the exhibition at Begonia Labs: 2805 West End Avenue, on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday from 12 p.m.- 6 p.m.
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Voices of Mississippi
The Vanderbilt Wilson Music Library will present Voices of Mississippi, on Friday, September 15, 7:30 p.m., in Blair School of Music’s Ingram Hall. Voices of Mississippi is an immersive multimedia concert event that celebrates the music, art, and storytelling traditions of the people of Mississippi. The event will include musical performances by Bobby Rush, Shardé Thomas, and Luther and Cody Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars. Tickets are on sale now. A limited number of complimentary tickets have been held for Vanderbilt University students, faculty, and staff. To secure your free ticket, click on My Account on the top navigation bar and sign in using your Vanderbilt SSO. Then click on Blair School of Music at the top to be directed to the ticketing page.
Based on the 2019 two-time Grammy-winning box set, Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William “Bill” Ferris, the program features live musical performances integrated with film, audio recordings, and rare photographs by folklorist Ferris, who will serve as host for the evening.
In a companion program, Bobby Rush will be featured in a public interview at the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) on Friday, September 15, 1:00-2:30 p.m. Rush will be interviewed by NMAAM COO Dion Brown. This is a free event. Advance tickets are suggested to guarantee seating (ticket information coming soon).
Voices of Mississippi is presented by the Vanderbilt Wilson Music Library and is made possible by a generous gift from Neal & Harwell, Attorneys at Law, and the Vanderbilt Arts, Discovery, and Innovation Fund, a collaboration with NMAAM.
More Information
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New Books from Vanderbilt University PressThis fall, Vanderbilt University Press is publishing five general-interest books:
Buy or pre-order any of these books on the VUP website or anywhere books are sold.
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Ancient Art Archive Exhibition featuring Stephen Alvarez & Dustin Mater
The Curb Center at Vanderbilt is proud to host an exhibition of photography, painting, mixed media drawings, and interactive installation created by Stephen Alvarez and Dustin Mater. Stephen Alvarez is an internationally acclaimed National Geographic photojournalist, and Dustin Mater is an award-winning artist and citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. Together, their work with the Ancient Art Archive preserves and shares humanity’s oldest stories with everyone, everywhere. With the help of leading archeologists, artists, and indigenous people, the Archive identifies and preserves culturally significant works using sophisticated photography, 3D modeling, and virtual reality technology. The exhibition will run from September 12 - December 1. The Curb Center is open for visitors from 10-4 Monday - Thursday. We welcome classes as well as individual visitors. The Curb Center is located at 1801 Edgehill Avenue in Nashville--look for the big red doors!
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