Gallery Events

With the State of Michigan declaring a state of emergency based on confirmed cases of COVID-19, we, at Oakland University, are taking a range of measures to protect and maintain the safety and health of our community. We are suspending all university-sponsored events, effective immediately through April 25. Once we have an update on when the events will be re-scheduled they will be posted here on our website.

Examining works featured in the exhibition as well as a number of others, this talk traces the interrelated development of an infrastructure for art in the United States during the nineteenth century and the social and political character of the artistic production it facilitated. Considering how and where Americans encountered art and how they saw themselves and their historical past in paintings and other images, the talk raises questions both about the subjects that found representation in the nineteenth-century visual field and those that were only alluded to or excluded altogether.

The histories Americans love to tell ourselves about the nation look very different from the perspectives of African Americans lashed by racist violence.

This lecture uses critical whiteness theory to analyze the portrayal of African Americans in the hit Showtime drama Shameless. I argue that the show gives visibility to poor urban whites while only casting a familiar, stereotypical view of Blacks that ultimately renders them unseen.

JooHee Noon is an illustrator and printmaker who creates drawings with bold colors and laters of textures to tell stories. Her work has been featured in the The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post. Her impressive client roster also includes Warby Parker, Topic Media, Mailchimp, Lincoln Motors, and Groundwood books. In addition to her editorial work, JooHee creates her own books, and gives talked and workshops around the world. The talk is sponsored by the Judd Family Endowed Fund.

How can a painting illustrate historical change? This talk explores the problem of painting in the age of emancipation, when American artists tested the aesthetic form and social role of their art in response to the unfinished revolution for African American freedom.

The era of American history, 1850-1940, represented in the Nancy and Sean Cotton Collection was an especially turbulent time. Yet, there are major gaps in who or what are portrayed in these works of art. Notably absent are people of color, immigrants, the Civil War, and the “dark side” of a rising industrial America.

The senior thesis exhibition features the graduating studio art and graphic design students.

This exhibition is organized by the Detroit Institute of Arts and made possible by the Nancy and Sean Cotton Collection. This is one in a series of American art exhibitions created through a multi-year, multi-institutional partnership formed by the Detroit Institute of Arts as part of the Art Bridges + Terra Foundation Initiative. Generous support is provided by the Richard and Jane Manoogian Foundation.

The senior thesis exhibition features the graduating studio art and graphic design students.

What if paradise is right here and right now? Proponents of mindfulness meditation believe so. Drawing on a so- ciological perspective, George Sanders explores whether the faddishness of mindful living is diluted by self-help gurus and corporate managers. Or, is mindfulness a reasonable strategy for coping with a highly rationalized and frenzied society?

The Problem of Heaven: How to Get from Here to Eternity is a lecture by Mark Rigstad, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Chair of Department of Philosophy and Director of the Center for Ethics.

All religions have some concept of a paradise; one from which we came, one to which we return. How are these concepts of paradise the same, and how do they differ? Dr. Engle will take us on a theological and artistic trek “behind the scenes.”

Nicole Killian's work uses graphic design, publishing, video, objects and installation to investigate how the structures of the internet, mobile messaging, and shared online platforms affect contemporary interaction and shape cultural identity from a queer perspective. They are interested in the repetition, looping, and dissemination of content.

In the late 1960s to 1970s, the United States was in the midst of social turmoil. Despite the number of social movements seeking equal rights and opportunities, women who identified as lesbian found themselves shut out of the movements they thought would accept them. Making music the core of their community, this is the story of how lesbian separatists used song in an attempt to create a utopia.

What individuals perceive to be the threats in need of most urgent attention can in fact be stand-ins for deeper, less manageable dangers. This presentation outlines four strategies individuals often use to attempt to manage perceived (substitute) threats. While these efforts may be partially satisfying, insofar as they allow individuals to feel a sense of control, I argue that the four strategies are ultimately disappointing and often morally and politically damaging.