Gordon Galleries Past Seasons

 Alone|Together: Fall 2020 Senior Exhibition

October 30, 2020 to November 22, 2020

Alone Together manifests the diverse ways that we respond to our surroundings and the difficult situations in which we find ourselves. Through our work in painting, illustration, and sculpture, we hope to encourage viewers to connect with one another through art even if we can't physically be together. Participating artists are Brooke Benham, Sherkayla Buskey, Lauren Hagood, and Ali Montgomery.

Andy Harris: Bikes, Brands, Words, and Wheels

January 9, 2021 - February 21, 2021

Scooters, drug tests, lips, Acne boots, seltzer water, palm trees, Xanax bars, fire, public transportation, jungle leaves, smoke and sparkles.

The call of the void is that fleeting curiosity of what it might be like to jump from an unrecoverable height. I fantasize about making paintings in a similar way. Anything can be attractive and interesting when you set it on-stage and aim a beaming light into its face at just the right angle.

These are my scissor paintings. Collaging painted paper gives me the freedom to work at whatever speed my body is dialed into on any given day. I can be quick and messy or meticulous and tight - both produce trash and treasures. A pair of sharp scissors in my hand give me the finesse I could never find using a brush, yet they also allow me to be loose and sloppy at a moment's notice.

- Andy Harris

Born in Durham, North Carolina and living in Norfolk, Virginia, Andy Harris earned a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a visual arts educator for Virginia Beach City Public Schools.

2021 Juried Student Exhibition

March 5, 2021 - April 10, 2021

"As a graduate and former art student, I was thrilled at the opportunity to select works for this strong showing and layered narrative on living and creating during the most obscure time of our lives.

I've often said that instead of asking, 'What is art,' ask, 'Why do we continue to make art,' and you will get a much more interesting discussion. This question carries more weight now because of the lives we have lived over the past year.

We have seen the US experience a racial awakening, division among friends and family, and traditions and routines turned on their heads in order to have a better chance of survival. In the face of all of this, why make art? The selections in this exhibition are the answers to that question. They are personal, biographical, helpful, honest, intimate, and most of all, human.

An artist doesn't always make things for other people—I suggest most artists make what they like and invite others to like it if they choose. However, this body of work is longing for connection, much like the rest of the world.

It's a connection in the form of fun animation to make someone laugh, or through recreation of a beloved monument. It's figures of larger women because that's how they are. It's a comforting pillow because you're tired. This showing is not just a representation of what creating during this time was like, it is a roadmap of what it means to be human and of what kind of humans we can be."

- Carl Medley

2021 Graphic Design Exit Review

The Graphic Design program at Old Dominion University provides a solid foundation of traditional art experiences and design practices and principles to build students' ability to create dynamic visual solutions. The core graphic design curriculum stresses essential competencies in conceptual problem solving, research, analysis and articulation, aesthetics, design theory, productivity, and the application of technology, necessary for both advanced exploration and entry into professional practice.

The Graphic Design Senior Exit Review provides graphic design students with an opportunity to present their graduating portfolio or thesis project to local professionals, family, friends, and the community. The event also celebrates the accomplishments and recognition each graduating class has accumulated on their way to graduation and employment. This site showcases the students who participated in the 2021 review.

* This year's poster was designed by Caroline Foster.

Sanguine: Spring 2021 Senior Exhibition

April 30, 2021 - May 15, 2021

The Baron and Ellin Gordon Galleries present Sanguine, an exhibition of works by the Spring 2021 graduating class of Bachelor of Fine Arts majors in studio art at Old Dominion University. Follow @Sanguine_ODU on Instagram for information on upcoming virtual events.

sanguine
adj.- optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation.
noun- a blood-red color.

This has been a time of change, learning, rediscovery, and immense creativity. We all have different outlets and methods of persevering. This too shall pass, but not without leaving its mark. In times of fear, tension, and uncertainty, we remain sanguine.