At the Table

John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center May 11, 2024

At the Table Reception CANCELED

The reception for At the Table on Thursday, October 3, 2024, is canceled, and Bardo Arts Center, including the WCU Fine Art Museum, BAC Performance Hall, BAC Box Office, and FAM Shop, is closed until October 7, 2024. This follows Western Carolina University's Condition Level 3 policy, as defined by the Adverse Weather Policy.

We will inform you about more future events and or rescheduling as conditions change. Thank you for your understanding and support during this challenging time. Please stay safe.

EXHIBITION: August 13, 2024 - December 6, 2024
RECEPTION: Canceled - Thursday, October 3, 2024 from 5-7 pm

white table with ceramic flatware all having different designs featuring stars and stripes

Narsiso Martinez, Always Fresh, 2018, ink, charcoal, gouache, gold Leaf, collage and multiple small oil on canvas paintings on reclaimed produce boxes, 92.5 x 278 inches, Courtesy of the artist and Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles. © 2018 Narsiso Martinez ; Photo by WCU Photo Services.

At The Table, is inspired by Western Carolina University's 2023-24 campus theme of Community and Belongingness and ties in with recent conversations in our community about the importance of having one’s voice heard and being given a seat at the table. Featuring numerous nationally known artists, the exhibition brings together contemporary works of art from the 1980s to the present that explore ideas of community, power, and representation through their depiction or use of a “table.” Everything from the kitchen table and conference room table to the concept of having “a seat at the table” is offered as food for thought in this exhibition. Tying the artists together is how they use this idea of the “table” to signify a place where people come together in connection, endure and overcome injustice, and make decisions that can change an individual life or the course of humanity.

a man and woman sitting at a table with various other diner tables around them, with multiple red foxes in various positions all around

Sandy Skoglund, Fox Games, 1989, cibachrome color print, 46.375 x 62.75 inches, Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami. © Sandy Skoglund

Much of the artwork in At The Table is on loan from museums and galleries across the country, including artwork by Donna Ferrato, Jacqueline Hassink, Beth Lipman, Narsiso Martinez, Elizabeth Murray, Charles F. Quest, Cara Romero, and Sandy Skoglund. Other works are drawn from private collections or the WCU Fine Art Museum’s own permanent collection, including significant works by Heather Mae Erickson, Roger Shimomura, Hollis Sigler, and Bob Trotman. In addition to visual artists, the exhibition incorporates verse by poet laureate Joy Harjo and a project celebrating Black history by Danielle Daniels and Amanda Ballard.

The artists represented in the exhibition use the recurring motif of the table to open up a dialogue on a range of contemporary issues, including the disenfranchisement of agricultural laborers, the need for amplifying underrepresented voices in history, the struggle for power over one’s body, and the threat of nuclear holocaust, among many other topics

At the Table Featured artists

image of a sculptue where a woman is a table. she has a red dress on with brown hair in a bun.

Beth Lipman, Bob Trotman, Charles F. Quest, Cara Romero, Danielle Daniels & Amanda Ballard, Donna Ferrato, Elizabeth Murray, Faith Ringgold, Heather Mae Erickson, Hollis Sigler, Jacqueline Hassink, Joy Harjo, Narsiso Martinez, Faith Ringgold, Roger Shimomura, Sandy Skoglund, and Shari Urquhart

Museum Hours
The WCU Fine Art Museum exhibitions and events are free and open to the public. Standard Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10AM-4PM, and Thursday, 10AM-7PM. If you have any questions, please call (828)227-ARTS.

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