In 1989 the Wright State University Art Galleries became a collecting institution focused on works of art created post-1967 and Western in origin.   The year was selected not only because Wright State University was founded in 1967, but also because it marked a period of political and artistic turmoil, the aftermath of which caused significant changes in contemporary art.

The works selected from the University's collection represent landmark statements of the social, political, and economical conditions of our culture during the last third of the twentieth century. Modernism in art was giving way to new ways of thinking and reacting to the world. Many artists were less concerned with obtaining the established ideal of aesthetic beauty and, instead, sought to express individual reactions to capitalism, mass media, and the act of viewing art in the traditional gallery setting.  

Tuesday, January 24     5:30 pm        Stewart Center room 206
Dr. Elizabeth K. Mix, contemporary art historian in the Division of Art & Design, will present a lecture on Postmodernism and the WSU collection pieces.  The lecture will be immediately followed by a reception in the Stewart Center Gallery.

All Purdue Galleries exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.