This Thursday from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m., the Tufts University Art Gallery will hold an opening reception for its two fall exhibits, "Richard Bell: Uz vs. Them" and "Ken Gonzales-Day: Profiled." Attendees will be able to both view the new shows and take advantage of the night's special events, including a conversation between artist Richard Bell and Mark Dodson, visiting chair of Australian Studies at Harvard University.
The dialogue between Bell and Dodson, which will take place at 6:15 p.m, will address some of the most important issues in "Richard Bell: Uz vs. Them," and serves as a jumping-off point for further discussion. Bell and Dodson will be touching on many topics related to the show, with a focus on issues including the colonization of Australia and its repercussions for the local aboriginal community and culture.
The functionality of Richard Bell's works as both art and activism make them well suited to engage the audience. Bell mobilizes a large range of artistic media and styles to create a visual narrative of multiplicity and poignant commentary. These choices allow Bell to comment on artistic convention and create powerful social and political commentary through his work in visual activism.
"This will be an amazing opportunity to hear from an artist who has personally experienced the effects of racist public policy and social practice throughout his life, and, through his own artistic practice, has humorously and poignantly challenged white bias," Amy Ingrid Schlegel, director of galleries and collections at Tufts University, said about the night's events.
The multiplicity of narrative in Bell's work draws strength from a wide range of disciplines and interests: "The exhibition… should appeal to a cross-section of Tufts students who are interested in social justice issues as well as history, politics and postcolonial studies," Schlegel said.
The opening seeks to engage not only the Tufts community, but also representatives from the aboriginal community in Australia. Representatives from the Wampanoag homelands of Martha's Vineyard will be offering a welcome prayer and song at the exhibition as well as a special gift to mark its opening. The opening and the night's events ultimately aim to foster further dialogue on the variety of questions posed in the show.
