Director's Message

Fall 2021

August 23, 2021 9:00AM
photograph and sketch of a black and white dog

The writer Joan Didion said, “I don’t know what I think until I write it down.”  This also holds true for drawing.  As we put pencil to paper and give our thoughts concrete form, we make the invisible, visible.  Doodling, diagramming, designing, sketching--all types of drawing become tools for the imagination, whether one is an engineer, mathematician, scientist, or artist.

Join us this fall as we immerse ourselves in Thinking Through Drawing.  Located in both our Main Gallery and a 1.9 mile stretch of the South Bethlehem Greenway, explore hundreds of works from LUAG’s permanent collection--many on view for the first time--alongside magnificent artworks contributed by local artists of all ages.  Attend our free public opening reception on Friday, October 1 to celebrate the work of these artists, and mark your calendars for a wide array of free education programs and events.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the first class of undergraduate women at Lehigh, LUAG presents Hear Me Roar: Women Photographers, a multi-site exhibition focusing on individual women photographers.  Witness how the presence of women photographers in LUAG’s collection has grown since the landmark exhibition and catalogue Women Photographers in 2011.  And, be sure to register for Critical Lens, a free, public symposium on Saturday, Nov. 13 that explores photography and media literacy, supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of State.

In collaboration with Lehigh’s Humanities Center and the Gloria Naylor Archive, we are delighted to present Gloria Naylor: Other Places.  Naylor, a gifted storyteller and novelist, wrote about the beauty and complexity of black women’s lives, and is perhaps best known for her debut novel, The Women of Brewster Place, which won the National Book Award in 1983.  Explore how this writer’s archive--filled with notes, sketches, and even maps--illuminates connections between art, writing, and storytelling.

As the fall season unfolds on Lehigh’s beautiful campus, explore the Outdoor Sculpture Collection through our new digital guide, integrated with Lehigh’s Campus Map.  Using this guide on your smartphone browser, or by selecting “Art on Campus” in the Hawkwatch App Campus Map, visit over 30 artworks and watch videos created by Lehigh students that reveal unique interdisciplinary perspectives.

Last, we hope you will get more involved with LUAG by becoming a member!  Members enjoy special programs, tours, guest experts, and receptions—all while supporting LUAG and its mission.  Annual membership levels begin at just $20 for artists and educators.  Lehigh students, faculty, and staff always receive free membership.  Join us!

So, pick up a pencil, make a sketch, and visit LUAG this fall season.  We look forward to seeing you at the galleries.

Be well,

 

 

William B. Crow, Ph.D.
Director and Professor of Practice
Lehigh University Art Galleries