Myself | Myself Too

Sheppard Fine Arts Gallery

Art Department
University of Nevada, Reno
1664 N. Virginia St

Reno

January 18 - February 18

MYSELF: A Survey of Contemporary Self-Portraiture

Front Door and McNamara Galleries:
MYSELF TOO: A University of Nevada, Reno Art Student Survey of Self-Portraiture
Organized by Andrew Griego and Michelle Lee

Lecture and Opening Reception: January 20 |  5:30 pm

Closing Event: Thursday February 17, with lecture by artist Suzanne Joelson at 5:30 pm [Room 153, Church Fine Arts Building] followed by reception with live Internet performance from Los Angeles with Elizabeth Leister: 6:30-8pm

"From Northern Nevada to all corners in America - - from Macedonia and Greece, to Sweden and French Canada, this large survey-style exhibition presents sixty-six artists, including one collaboration, exploring the theme of self-portraiture. Perhaps considered just the folly of indulgent navel-gazing, the self-portrait continues to be important and interesting because it not only provides varied perspectives of the artist looking back on the self in circumstance, but rather also provides cultural, political and social insight into the time period and conditions under which the art was made. In a growing globalization, how we reflect the times we live in is subject matter that crosses the unsteady boundaries of nation, race, gender, religion, political affiliation, age, class, etc. With over 130 applications for an exhibition in a relatively small town such as Reno, it’s safe to say that self-portraiture remains a popular content for artists of our time. The exhibition demonstrates that humor, pop culture, health, irony, history, intellectual debates, idealism and story-telling are ever-present undertones to how artists express themselves, whether they use self-portraiture as rare device, or as regular all-encompassing investigative tool."

Concurrent with the MYSELF exhibition: MYSELF TOO, a student exhibition of self-portraiture in which all students were invited to participate whether taking a 101 drawing class or graduating as a MFA candidate."

[Text and graphic from Sheppard Gallery. Click on image to enlarge.]