To the VCUarts community,
Black History Month is a celebration of the great triumphs and moving personal stories of African Americans. Black students and faculty at Kent State University inaugurated the tradition in 1970, knowing that the true story of their cultural heritage could only be amplified through teaching. Despite the social turbulence of that era, the collaboration between students and faculty has succeeded for nearly 50 years.
Academic spaces provide fertile ground for powerful ideas to take root and flourish. They provide a forum for students and faculty to initiate difficult conversations on campus which lead to lasting change.
At VCUarts, a similar electricity can be felt across our school. The Anderson exhibition “As, Not For: Dethroning Our Absolutes,” open through Feb. 13, offers a survey of work by African American graphic designers over the past century, promoting the inclusion of black designers into the history of their practice. Also opening this month at the Valentine museum, the General Demotion/General Devotion project will reveal design submissions from around the country that reimagine Monument Avenue. I look forward to how your participation might spark new discussions in our city.
Daring initiatives like General Demotion/General Devotion ask us to respond to urgent questions. To answer them, we must listen to, learn from and trust one another. Fostering a dialogue is critical to the arts, and it requires our collective commitment to succeed.
That’s why VCUarts is dedicated to preserving and nurturing the diverse character of our school. We strive to be a place where students, faculty, staff and visitors all feel welcome.
I’d like to extend my thanks to each of you for doing your part in ensuring VCUarts remains a place for everyone. We are able to meet and exceed such a high bar of excellence because of the dynamism and diversity that powers this engaging place.
Warmly,
Shawn Brixey
Dean | School of the Arts
Special Assistant to the Provost for the School of the Arts in Qatar
Professor | School of the Arts
Affiliate Professor | College of Engineering
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