Arts & Culture

UK School of Art and Visual Studies Presents SECAC 2021 Juried Exhibition

David Wischer's "Take Two of These" (diptych)

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 28, 2021) While University of Kentucky School of Art and Visual Studies will be unable to host the SECAC annual conference this fall due to the pandemic, the SECAC 2021 Juried Exhibition will proceed both virtually and in-person through Nov. 12, at the Bolivar Art Gallery. Ninety-six works were selected for this free public exhibition that includes video, mixed media, paintings, drawings, photographs, sculpture, prints and more, created by contemporary artists and educators working in the southeastern region and across the United States.

Visitors can peruse the SECAC 2021 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon-4 p.m. Saturday at Bolivar Art Gallery. Masks are required to view the exhibition in-person. Those interested in seeing the work online may visit the gallery's website at www.bolivarartgallery.com/secac-members-juried-exhibition.html.  

Louisville native Joey Yates, currently the curatorial director at KMAC Museum, served as this year's juror for the exhibition. Shortly after receiving a master's degree in critical and curatorial studies from the University of Louisville, he worked as gallery director for the Land of Tomorrow, a Kentucky-based project space that organized notable exhibitions that included a solo presentation by Ebony G. Patterson and a showcase of multimedia work exploring the intersections of art and music called the Expanded Music Project. Since joining KMAC he has curated multiple exhibitions, a selection that includes "Simone Leigh: Crop Rotation," "William J. O’Brien: Oscillates Wildly," "Paul Mpagi Sepuya: Portraits / Positions," "Victory Over the Sun: The Poetics and Politics of Eclipse" and "Sisters of the Moon: Art and the Feminine Dimension." During his time at KMAC he has helped expand the craft identity of the institution to examine the growing connections between craft activity, material culture and contemporary artistic production.

SECAC (formerly the Southeastern College Art Conference) is a nonprofit organization that promotes the study and practice of the visual arts in higher education on a national basis. SECAC facilitates cooperation and fosters ongoing dialogue about pertinent creative, scholarly and educational issues among teachers and administrators in universities, colleges, community colleges, professional art schools and museums; and among independent artists and scholars. Membership includes individuals and institutions from the original group of southeastern states that founded the conference: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Over the decades, however, SECAC has grown to include individual and institutional members from across the country, becoming the second largest national organization of its kind. SECAC is an affiliated organization of the national College Art Association .

The SECAC fulfills its purpose in part by sponsoring an annual fall conference that provides members with a forum for the exchange of ideas and concerns relevant to the practice and study of art, including the juried exhibition open to SECAC members. While COVID-19 has disrupted the normal schedule of events for the past two years, the conference regularly draws participants from the United States and other countries. Individuals who present their research or creative work at a conference gain national exposure for their work in the fields of studio art, art and architectural history, art education, museum studies, and visual resources.

The UK School of Art and Visual Studies, part of the College of Fine Arts, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of art studioart history and visual studiesart educationcuratorial studies and digital media design.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.