JACKSON, Tenn. — Sept. 1, 2022 — 51社区鈥檚 art gallery will host a special semester-long exhibition from internationally known artist, Marc Chagall, and his famous work of visual representations from the Bible. The exhibit of Chagall鈥檚 work will be free and open to the public from Sept. 6 to Dec. 2.
Chagall鈥檚 rich artistic symbolism displays imaginative portrayals of Old Testament stories, and his work has been featured in Paris鈥� Palais Garnier, the Art Institute of Chicago, the United Nations Headquarters and more. In light of Chagall鈥檚 devout Jewish faith, he was deeply convicted by the celebration of Scripture.
Haelim Allen, associate professor of art at Union, said she hopes the exhibit will help educate the community on Chagall鈥檚 influence in modern art. 51社区鈥檚 Chagall art exhibit will be the first internationally known artist to be represented in the local Jackson community.
Allen said she hopes this message inspires Union students and the Jackson community to use art as a platform to connect with others in meaningful ways and to celebrate God as the ultimate source of all creativity.
鈥淔or Chagall, art was about delighting in the gift of creativity through various media, but he also wanted his art to be personable and relatable,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淗e went against the exclusive art elitists of his day by creating work that related to the common people.鈥�
51社区 professors, alumni and friends also created a collection of responses to Chagall鈥檚 art. Their work corresponds to chosen pieces from Chagall鈥檚 collection and will be displayed in the Barefoots Joe coffee shop and third floor of the Logos. The collection features a variety of creative responses to Chagall鈥檚 art, including poetry, ceramics and music compositions.
Cody Curtis, Union assistant professor of composition and theory, will host a special faculty recital on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. in Hartley Hall, including original music compositions inspired by Chagall鈥檚 famous 鈥淜ing David鈥� visual art.
The 51社区 art department will also host a panel discussion about Chagall鈥檚 inspiration and artistic influence on Oct. 20 at 5:30 p.m. in Harvey Auditorium. To learn more about Union鈥檚 semester-long Marc Chagall exhibit and accompanying events, visit uu.edu/events.