Lux et Veritas (Yale’s motto, which translates to “Light and Truth”) will debut at NSU Art Museum on April 2.
This exhibition focuses on artists who attended Yale School of Art for graduate study during the period of 2000 to 2010, who created systems of support across the various departments of Painting, Graphic Design, Sculpture, Photography and Art History.
As people of color within a predominantly white institution, these art students formed groups that evolved into communities that networked and collaborated with one another, often passing on their supportive efforts beyond graduate study.
Renowned art curator and industry veteran Bonnie Clearwater has organized this exhibition by working with an advisory committee of Yale graduates who were active at the school during and after graduation (Mike Cloud, MFA 2003, william cordova, MFA 2004, Leslie Hewitt, MFA 2004, and Irene V. Small, Associate Professor, Contemporary Art & Criticism, Princeton University, Yale Ph.D. 2008), conducting in-depth artist interviews and working with each artist on the selection and installation of their work (all post-graduate work) to reflect the dynamic connections they forged during their studies at Yale and after.
Important themes about Lux et Veritas:
- As with similar programs at the time, Yale School of Art had not been historically diverse.
- This lack of diversity spurred many of the featured artists to construct their own networks across their peer groups to form a community that provided like-minded and essential support and feedback for one another during their time at art school and after graduation.
- They actively drove initiatives such as inviting artists, curators and writers of color as advisors and guest speakers, developing an interdisciplinary forum, publishing art journals, organizing exhibitions and documenting their experiences in video and photography.
- The timespan of these artists’ studies at Yale coincided with historic cultural, political and art market shifts and events.
- Having worked with several of these artists previously, including presenting a recent solo exhibition of Eric N. Mack (Yale, MFA, 2021) at NSU Art Museum (2021), Bonnie Clearwater, Director and Chief Curator of NSU Art Museum, noticed a distinct relationship between these artists and reached out to them to obtain insight into their graduate school experience and its impact on their work and careers in order to organize this exhibition.
- The artists included in this exhibition share a common experience of their time at Yale but are diverse in their approaches to form and content.
More details on Lux et Veritas:
- Among the artists included are: Mike Cloud, william cordova, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Abigail DeVille, Torkwase Dyson, John Espinosa, Luis Gispert, Rashawn Griffin, Leslie Hewitt, Jamerry Kim, Eric N. Mack, Wardell Milan, Wangechi Mutu, Mamiko Otsubo, Ronny Quevedo, Mickalene Thomas, Anna Tsouhlarakis, Shoshanna Weinberger and Kehinde Wiley.
- The exhibition brings together primarily post-graduate work as well as archival photographs and videos that document these artists’ student experiences showcasing how their works were influenced by their time at Yale.
Meet the Artists on Opening Day of Lux et Veritas Saturday, April 2, 202211 AM – 4 PM FREE
Support has been provided by the following Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Barbara and Michael G. Landry Fund for Broward, Peck Family Fund, Julia C. Baldwin Fund, and Frederick W. Jaqua Fund.
For more information on the exhibition, visit the Lux et Veritas exhibition page.
