SDSU School of Art and Design Announces New Exhibition Program and Partners
The new exhibition includes a revitalization of the universitys on-campus galleries and partnerships with leading local galleries and museums.
The new exhibition program will dedicate significant space in SDSU’s four on-campus galleries for student-led exhibitions and projects, and will also bring in exhibitions of contemporary artists and collectives to campus following the closure of SDSU’s Downtown Gallery, the university’s off-campus exhibition venue for the past ten years.
The university believes this is an opportunity to revitalize campus programming and expand community connections.
“Contemporary art in the public realm leverages the unique capacity of creative practice to facilitate expression, find common ground, build empathy, and bring communities together, whether to celebrate, to problem-solve, or to experience a performance or event,” said Annie Buckley, director of SDSU’s School of Art and Design and founding director of the Prison Arts Collective. “We are looking forward to having our on-campus galleries serve as a hub for local, national, and international exhibitions and, simultaneously, as sites for student-led and student-curated projects.”
In addition, the new exhibition program will also include an innovative coalition called “Gather,” comprised of the SDSU School of Art and Design, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD), Bread & Salt Gallery and Art Produce.
The coalition partners will collaborate on exhibitions on and off-campus, share audiences, and embark on projects including cross-curatorial platforms, panels on issues relevant to our local communities and beyond, and opportunities for professional growth for students and emerging artists.
“I am so grateful to have the opportunity to collaborate with these fantastic institutions in a partnership that we feel will be mutually beneficial to our organizations and communities, both on campus and off,” said Buckley. “Our goals and projects are still forming organically each time we meet and we are excited to share audiences and embark on new projects.”
Through its involvement in “Gather,” the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego will share its resources and expertise with the SDSU School of Art and Design through curriculum collaboration with faculty and introducing students to the museum’s collection of thematic art such as Latinx/Chicanx/Border art, Art and Activism, and art surrounding Feminism and Gender issues.
Cristina Scorza, education curator at MCASD, looks forward to strengthening ties and establishing new connections within the community.
“Gather brings together four organizations, their resources, and expertise to imagine new collaborations and to expand the reach we have in our region, with the goals of supporting the artistic community of San Diego and Tijuana, of inspiring the new generation of cultural administrators, and of embracing new audiences,” said Scorza.
The SDSU School of Art and Design also plans to continue its ongoing collaborations with the Mingei Museum, the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library, and other local arts organizations.
