Congratulations to our faculty and staff on a meaningful exhibition presenting diverse points of view, varied approaches to their respective mediums, and distinct responses to the contemporary moment.  My colleague Tanya Bakija and I are pleased to reconfigure the beloved tradition of the Annual Faculty and Staff Exhibition in an online-only format this year. While there is no doubt that works of art are made to be viewed in person, the distance afforded by an online exhibition reminds us of how much we value and miss seeing our immediate community— the students, staff, faculty, alumni, friends and supporters of the Frostic School of Art and the Richmond Center for Visual Arts. 

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Although the Frostic School of Art’s Annual Faculty and Staff Exhibition is never organized thematically nor formally curated, common leitmotifs often emerge. This year, a handful of artists created work in response to the visual, emotional, and physical patterns of pandemic life.  Several artists reached globally, re-visioning their experiences, research, and travel from across the world, from Europe to Asia and throughout the United States. Other artists present confessional and deeply personal narratives, commenting on the most intimate of situations, from life as a working mom during the tumult of 2020's pandemic, to diagnosis of autism, to concepts of personal protection or isolation. Abstraction and realism both figure prominently in this exhibition, as does the conviction that artists bear responsibly to communicate and inform audiences about worsening environmental issues and endemic social justice problems. A reflection of the strength, breadth, and expertise of the Frostic School of Art, this exhibition reveals the wide and ranging scope of work our faculty and staff investigate and bring into being. 

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-- Indra K. Lācis, PhD

Director of Exhibitions