Director's Message

Fall 2024

August 29, 2024 3:27PM

“The only constant is change” may be a cliché, but it is apt for our times.  Change is truly everywhere: the upcoming U.S. Presidential election, fast-moving advancements in the technology we use, ongoing adjustments to life in a post-pandemic world, and right here on campus as we aspire to a new vision of action and impact at Lehigh. 

But how does change happen, and who leads it?  If we look closely, we find that there are many change makers among us: neighbors, community leaders, educators, and of course artists.  

We are honored to feature one such artist in our newest exhibition.  Nellie Mae Rowe (1900-1982) spent most of her adult life working as a housekeeper in Atlanta, but made a radical change when she decided to become an artist.  Starting with modest line drawings, her work evolved into complex compositions and sculptures from found objects.  She ultimately opened her studio, “The Playhouse” as she called it, to public visitors.  Join us on Thursday, September 12 at 5:30pm for a fascinating lecture by curator Katherine Jentleson from The High Museum of Art (Atlanta), followed by the public opening reception of our Main Gallery exhibition, Really Free: The Radical Art of Nellie Mae Rowe.

You are invited to visit our entire network of galleries across campus and the South Bethlehem Greenway to experience Change Makers!, featuring artworks from LUAG’s permanent collection.  Be inspired by how artists have made positive change through a broad spectrum of methods, and enjoy short videos and labels created by local change makers from across the Lehigh Valley to discover how they advance positive change.

Lehigh students strive to make positive change, so be sure to visit the LUAG LAB—our interdisciplinary student project space, adjacent to the Main Gallery—where student Tiana Aldroubi ’24 leverages machine learning and computer visualizations to explore the quickly-evolving field of health, and how adults with dementia experience and respond to art.

Change is everywhere—including at LUAG—but you can always count on having an engaging, thought-provoking experience in our galleries.  As always, we are free and open to all.  Come see for yourself!  

Till soon,

Dr. William B. Crow
Director