1780 – The Official Blog of Transylvania University

1780 | The Official Blog of Transylvania University

‘Lavish!’ opens at Transylvania’s Morlan Gallery on Feb. 23

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s Morlan Gallery will present an installation sculpture that pays homage to the wild, old growth forests on Pine Mountain from Feb. 23 to March 30. “Lavish!: New Work by Zoé Strecker” is a long-term project by the Transylvania art professor that features community-embroidered images of natural communities and organisms in the forests on the southeastern Kentucky mountain. Stitched by volunteer embroiderers from across the country, the printed silk organza panels hang within a circular, bent wood structure that measures 22 feet across and 10 feet high. “Lavish” includes an active embroidery studio and a side exhibition titled “Inspired by Wild Places” by selected members of the Pine Mountain Collective: Rebecca Allan, Vallorie Henderson, Erika Strecker and Brian and Sara Turner. Pine Mountain Collective artists participate in three-day, on-site retreats co-hosted by Strecker, Erik Reece and The Kentucky Natural Lands Trust. More than 100 artists have attended the retreats, and many have exhibited, performed and published creative work inspired by their experience of Pine Mountain.   Special events and hours – Opening Reception for the Artists: Friday, Feb. 23, 5-7 p.m.– Weekend Hours: Sunday, Feb. 25, 6:30 -7:30 p.m.– Art Talk with Zoé Strecker: Thursday, March 8, 6 p.m.– Lexington Gallery Hop: Friday, March 16, 5-8 p.m.– Wild Things: Selected Artists from the Pine Mountain Sessions: Friday, March 23, 7-8:30 p.m., Carrick Theater, Mitchell Fine Arts Center. Kentucky musicians Daniel Martin Moore and Julia Purcell will perform original

Morlan Gallery, The Parachute Factory to start new year with New Domesticity: Women’s Work in Women’s Art

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s Morlan Gallery and The Parachute Factory will kick off 2018 with New Domesticity: Women’s Work in Women’s Art, a single exhibition that will span two downtown art galleries from Jan. 16 to Feb. 16. The exhibition, curated by art history professor Emily Elizabeth Goodman, examines how Kentucky women artists incorporate elements of domestic work and life into their art practices. In particular, New Domesticity explores how different artists engage with the idea of women’s “traditional roles” in our contemporary culture. To prepare for the exhibition, Goodman and Morlan Gallery Director Andrea Fisher traveled across Kentucky this past summer to meet women artists where they live and work—which in many cases are one in the same place. A Transylvania Kenan Fund for Faculty and Student Enrichment grant funded the research. The artists in the exhibition are Stacey Chinn, Jane Burch Cochran, Rae Goodwin, Judith Pointer-Jia, Diane Kahlo, Helen LaFrance, Lori Larusso, Colleen Merrill, Stacey Reason, Jennifer A. Reis, Kristin Richards, Justine Riley, Bianca Lynne Spriggs, Bentley Utgaard and L.A. Watson. Morlan Gallery is open weekdays, noon to 5 p.m., and by special appointment. For an appointment, call Fisher at (859) 233-8142, 24 hours prior to viewing. The Parachute Factory is open Wednesdays through Fridays from 5-8 p.m. and on Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. Located in Lexington’s Northside, this women-led gallery is run by Sarah Brown and Transylvania alumna Stevie Morrison ’15. This exhibition has a catalog available

Morlan Gallery exhibition explores maps as art

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Maps have always been about art, and starting Thursday, Oct. 26, they’ll be showcased in a Morlan Gallery exhibition at Transylvania University.  “MAP/PING” will feature 12 U.S. artists who explore social mapping, culturally expanded notions of maps—and what happens when one discipline uses the language of another to consider time, place and behavior. The show will run through Dec. 5. The artists will present work in a variety of media—from embroidery, to light, to prints of personality portraits taken from online dating data. “MAP/PING” features the work of Jessica Breen, Susanna Crum, R. Luke DuBois, Luke Gnadinger, Valerie S.Goodwin, Colleen Toutant Merrill, Jenny Odell, Joyce Ogden, Jackie Pancari, Fred Tschida, Clement Valla and James Wade. The opening reception for the artists will be Friday, Oct. 27, from 5-8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The Morlan Gallery’s regular hours are noon to 5 p.m. weekdays.  For more information, contact Gallery Director Andrea Fisher at (859) 233-8142   Special Events and Hours Opening Reception with the Artists: Friday, Oct. 27, 5-8 p.m.Lexington Gallery Hop: Friday, Nov. 17, 5-8 p.m.Weekend Hours: Sunday, Nov. 12, 2-3 p.m. Evening Hours: Saturday, Nov. 18, 5-8 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 20, 5-8 p.m.

Transylvania to scare up biggest-ever PumpkinMania on Oct. 24

 LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University’s PumpkinMania will be re-“vamped” this year because of the event’s increasing popularity. This Lexington Halloween tradition will continue on Tuesday, Oct. 24, when the university lights hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns on the steps of historic Old Morrison off West Third Street. The community is invited to attend this event, which will feature: •6-7 p.m. trick-or-treating, music, food trucks•7 p.m. jack-o’-lantern lighting Free, nearby parking will be available for the event. “We’re really excited about the changes we are making for this year,” said Michele Gaither Sparks, vice president for marketing and communications. “This will be our biggest PumpkinMania ever. We are closing off Third Street in front of the university, creating a larger trick-or-treat area, and bringing in food vendors and live music. Much of this year’s expansion is made possible by community partners such as our lead inaugural sponsor, White, Greer & Maggard Orthodontics.” Transylvania also will host a public pumpkin carving all day Sunday, Oct. 22, in Back Circle off Fourth Street. The Lexington community can still enjoy PumpkinMania after Tuesday’s lighting. The jack-o’-lanterns will be glowing each night through Halloween. “What better place to celebrate Halloween than Transylvania University?” Sparks said.  

Studio 300 Digital Art and Music Festival

Composers, performers, artists and technologists from around the country will visit Lexington on Thursday, Oct. 5, and Friday, Oct. 6, for Transylvania’s Studio 300 Digital Art and Music Festival. Hosted by the university every other year, Studio 300 offers an exclusive front row seat at the leading edge of the international digital art and music scenes. Participants will present their work and interact with the public as well as Transylvania students, faculty and staff. This year’s event will double the number of artist talks and demonstrations. Read more.