Hiram Van Gordon Gallery
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Hours: Monday - Thursday
10:00am - 4:00pm Location:
TSU Main Campus,
1108 37th Ave N
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About the Gallery
The Hiram Van Gordon Gallery offers approximately six exhibitions yearly that highlight the works of Tennessee State University students, faculty and alumni in the visual arts, African American and African artists, social and civic engaged work along with conversations regarding sustainable environmental practices in art.
The gallery is named after former Professor and Chair Hiram Van Gordon (1918-1979). Artist, Military cartographer and longtime chair of Tennessee State University’s Art Department was a graduate of Pearl High School and enrolled at Tennessee A&I in 1940. He enlisting in the Untied Sates Army in 1942, returning to attain his bachelors and Masters Degree in Art. He began his teaching in 1951, while still a student. In 1958 he began his twenty-one tenure of head of the department.
Fall 2024 Gallery Schedule
SEPT/OCT
What’s Found, Around, & Scrounged
Nieko McDaniel
September 23 to October 17 2024
Reception: Thursday Oct 17, 5-7 pm
The Hiram Van Gordon Gallery presents What’s Found, Around, & Scrounged by Nieko McDaniel. The exhibition opens on September 23 and runs till October 17, 2024, with an artist talk via zoom on Wednesday, Sept 25 from 10-11 am CT and closing reception on Oct 17th from 5-7 pm. McDaniel draws heavily from the environment that shaped him and the worlds he continues to create. Growing up in Southern California, graffiti was more than just a form of art—it was a language, a means of claiming space and making one's mark. This early exposure to street art became the foundation upon which he built his creative practice.
What’s Found, Around, & Scrounged is a continuation in exploration of world-building. These pieces are fragments of a larger narrative, a New World Environment where graffiti or yarn bombing is not just an art form but a vital part of the ecosystem. In this imagined world, the walls speak, and the ground beneath our feet is alive with the messages of those who came before. In the city of Pompeii, it is documented that graffiti was used regularly on their architectural structures as a form of communication to relay messages to a large group of people. Graffiti here serves not only as visual beauty but as a testament to presence—a marker of existence, identity, and communication among the inhabitants of this space.
The materials in use—loose cardboard, paper, simple paint, and yarn—are deliberate choices, echoing the accessibility and resourcefulness of street art. Just as graffiti artists work with what they can find, McDaniel’s scavenge and repurpose, creating something new out of what might otherwise be discarded. Each piece is a conversation between the materials, the environment, and the viewer, inviting you to step into this world and decipher its stories. Through this work look for intersections of art, environment, and identity, slow down and consider the marks we leave behind and what they say about who we are.
AUGUST/SEPT
La Pinta
Curated by Jay Sanchez
August 12 to Sept 12, 2024
Reception: Friday, August 30, 5-7pm
Artists: Marteja Bailey, Omari Booker, Samuel Dunson, Shayna Hobbs, Aaliyah Hope, Megan Jordan, Cait Mello, Tahila Moss, Michael “Ol Skool” Mucker, Maya Turner , Cesar Pita, Alex Reyes, German Rojas, Emily Sanchez, Lorenzo Swinton, Ruben Torres, Yanira Vissepo
Hiram van Gordon Gallery presents La PInta curated by Jay Sanchez, opening on August 12 to September 12, 2024. Reception on August, 30 from 5-7 and talk with curator and artists TBA.
La Pinta delves into the multifaceted layers of societal struggles with themes of colonization, incarceration, imperialism, materialism, and commercialism. Independent Curator Jay Sanchez and the participating artists weave a narrative confronting historical injustices while exploring contemporary socio-political realities, focusing on those continuously affected over the last 532 years. Symbolizing resilience and defiance against oppressive systems, artists can create subtle imagery that hints at the complexities of identity and heritage.
La Pinta is a celebration of diversity, with Native Americans, Latin Americans, Hispanics, and African Americans portraying their respective communities with power and nuance. They emphasize the resilience, solidarity, and cultural richness that persist despite systemic challenges and historical trauma. This show serves as a visual dialogue, inviting viewers to engage in conversation about power, privilege, resilience, and the ongoing quest for justice and equality for us all. Through art, we aim to amplify marginalized voices, disrupt dominant narratives, and inspire collective action towards a more just and equitable world.
Virtual Artist Talks
in Space for New Media (unless noted otherwise)
Our artists' talks and lectures are geared at creating forums for artists and students to talk about their work in a supportive open environment. In the process of creating a line up of artists and speakers that relate back to our exhibit schedule in the Hiram Van Gordon Gallery, Space for New Media, and M-SPAR, connecting what is learned in classroom courses and seminars to real-world applications. We will invite organizations and artists from a variety of perspectives to talk about their work. You can view previous lectures on our YouTube channel TSU Art and Design.
ART Talk
Fall 2024
Spring 2024
Native Resonance - Webinar #2 Hybrid: Monday, April 15th at 5pm - 7pm
Join us for a panel discussion with five different Native artists from various Tribes to discuss the Native Resonance cohort and their Traditional art practices. Through engaging discussions led by Shayna Hobbs, NAIA Arts & Education Outreach Lead, we will delve into the importance of preserving Indigenous traditions, languages, and arts.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect with experts and gain valuable insights. The community is welcome to attend in person at TSU’s Space for New Media or virtually through the Zoom link.
Let’s celebrate Native Resonance together!
Thanks NAIA and the Native Resonance cohort
Past Exhibitions
- 72 • 69 by ZIM, MAY 13 - MAY 30 2024
- Identify Thyself, April 17- May 2
- Inside Blackness: Illuminating the Black Psyche in the Interior Landscape, February 26 to March 28 2024
- The Olympian by Jane Allen McKinney, NOV 6 - DEC 7
- Band of First, SEPT 25- OCT 26 2023
- HUMAN NARRATIVE(S), AUG-SEPT 2023
- Woven Wind, MAY-JUNE 2023
- Senior Show, APRIL-MAY 2023
- Crowning Glory, FEB-MAR 2023
- IMAGE Faculty Triennial, JAN-FEB 2023
- “Our Friend, Jean” Early Works By Jean-Michel Basquiat, HBCU Tour presented by The Bishop Gallery in collaboration with Hennessy, Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), and Group Black. Nov 2022
- Call and Response and Other Black Technologies, Rick Griffith Sept - Oct 2022
- 2022 Spring Graduating Seniors, Senior Art Exhibition A Guiding Light April - May 2022
- A Hidden Legacy Feburary - March 2022
- Light Of The Truth: Student Exchange And ExhibitionUniversity of Tennessee, Tennessee State University, and Fisk University January - Feburary 2022
- StudentPrize (Based on Grand Rapids' ArtPrize) October - November 2021
- SPECTRUM: A show about gender identity (Supported by TSU GSA) September - October 2021
- Collection Connection: Tennessee State University's Department of Art and Design Art and Artifact Collection August - September 2021
- Graduating Seniors SPRING 2021, Game Changer/s: April 2021
- We Shall Overcome: Civil Rights and the Nashville Press, 1957–1968 from Frist Art Museum: March - April 2021
- People to People: Men-dong Daily Photograph from Nanjing, China by Zhengwen Xiong: January - February 2021
- Graduating Seniors FALL 2020, Renovations through Self-Reflection: November 2020
- I'M SO GLAD: An exhibition of Tennessee State University memorabilia and artifacts highlighting the university's legacy, culture, and history. - October 2020
- What Matters...A Collection of Portraits and Stories from UM and TSU Art Departments: August 2020 - September 2020
- Graduating Seniors SPRING 2020, We Are Hue: March 2020
- Just Imagine by Samuel Dunson: January 2020 - February 2020
Space for New Media
The Space for New Media gives students and artists a place to produce and display digital, experimental, and performance-based work, using our state of equipment to bring innovative ideas and images to campus.
Past Student Residency
Chaz Presents A Thin Line, by Chaz Baylin
February 17-18, 2023
Interactive Multimedia Experience
Photography and Digital Presentation, Interactive Photo booths, and Music
McGruder Social Practice Artist Residency, M-SPAR
The McGruder Social Practice Artist Residency, M-SPAR provides artists opportunities to impact the social landscape and engage with McGruder Family Resource Center, local Historic Black College and University’s (HBCU), and the community of North Nashville. Artists engage with community through an artist’s residency. Artists are provided studio space in exchange for community activated work leading to the conception, development, and execution of viable, transformative art projects.
Art Collection
Over the years the art department has amassed a permanent collection of African and Alumni artwork in a few notable collections: the Art Eubanks Collection, the Ruth Witt Collection, and the Dr. Richard and Sharon Edwards Collection.
Directions
1108 37th Ave N
Elliott Hall is locate on the back side of Tennessee State University main campus. From I-40 East, take a Right on 28th Ave/Ed Temple then Left on Walter S Davis. Left on 39th Ave N, Left on John L Driver Ave, past the guard station, Left on 37th Ave N.
From I-40 West, turn left of Jefferson St. take a Right on 28th Ave/Ed Temple then Left on Walter S Davis. Left on 39th Ave N, Left on John L Driver Ave, past the guard station, Left on 37th Ave N.
From Charlotte Ave, take a Right on 28th Ave/Ed Temple then Left on Walter S Davis. Left on 39th Ave N, Left on John L Driver Ave, past the guard station, Left on 37th Ave N.
Parking is lots K and L. Enter Elliott Hall from front of building and proceed to back right side, enter Hiram Van Gordon Gallery.
Contact Us
Courtney Adair Johnson
Gallery Director
cjohn173@tnstate.edu
615-963-5921
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