\nOngoing through Nov. 15
\nClosing reception: Friday, Nov. 15, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
\nJuror\u2019s talk by Marty Epp-Carter<\/a> at 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
This juried exhibition is organized by the Thompson Gallery in collaboration with the Queer Arts Initiative, which champions queer arts in the Upstate. Representing six states, the show features 14 queer artists whose work explores contemporary queer identities and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ communities in the South.<\/p>\n
![\"an](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2024\/10\/found-family-installation-photo-e1728657846978.jpeg\")
“Found Family” is on display through Nov. 15 in Thompson Gallery.<\/p><\/div>\n
The exhibition showcases 22 artworks, each created within the last three years, including painting, sculpture, photography, drawing and video media. The artists range in age and career trajectory, gender and sexual identity, and artistic style and critical tone, but they together they represent a cross-section of the Southern queer art scene\u2019s vibrant heterogeneity. Their work brings visibility to the authentic experiences of LGBTQIA+ communities in the region. \u201cFound Family\u201d celebrates these stories \u2013 from the individual to the shared, the triumphant to the disheartening, the aspirational to the anxiety-inducing \u2013 to explore how queer communities function and thrive in the often tenuous, sociopolitical environment of the South. \u201cFound Family\u201d amplifies the new, emerging generation of Southern queer artists and attests to the exciting potential direction of the region\u2019s queer art scene in the coming years.<\/p>\n
The Thompson Art Gallery will host a closing reception for \u201cFound Family\u201d on Friday, Nov. 15, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The exhibition will open for viewing in the Roe Art Building at 5:30 p.m., and at 6:30 p.m., Marty Epp-Carter<\/a> will give a talk on the exhibition\u2019s major themes, the jury\u2019s selection process and the state of LGBTQIA+ art in the Southeast. At 7:30 p.m., the event will conclude with a reception of light hors d’oeuvres and drinks outside the gallery in the Roe Art Building.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Leticia’s Dear Friend” by William Paul Thomas.<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cAfter You,\u201d William Paul Thomas<\/a> Filled with enigmatic family portraits and other personal mementos, \u201cAfter You\u201d is a living archive created by Thomas for his young daughter to one day explore the visible and unseen aspects of her genetic inheritance.\u00a0The show is curated in partnership with the students of Furman\u2019s ART 340, who have created a participatory and multi-media experience that prompts questions into the broader ways we come to know family history, seek our heritage and establish human connection.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n True Inspiration Artist in Residence exhibition with Derek Reese<\/a> Derek Reese has been selected for the artist teaching fellowship at Furman University for spring semester 2025. He will collaborate with Furman\u2019s Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities, LiveWell Greenville and underserved Greenville County residents to create a new body of interdisciplinary artwork that aims to amplify the efforts of organizations addressing food insecurity in rural South Carolina. The exhibition features mixed media and found object sculpture, photography, video installations and performance art.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Senior Show Art students from the class of 2025 will showcase their collections.<\/p>\n For dates and times of artist receptions to be scheduled, visit the Thompson Gallery<\/a>. For more information, please contact Stephen Mandravelis at stephen.mandravelis@furman.edu<\/a>, or 864-294-2282.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Four exhibitions are featured for the 2024-2025 academic year. \u201cFound Family: Queerness and Community in the South\u201d runs through Friday, Nov. 15, and closes with a reception and juror’s talk by Marty Epp-Carter at 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":34461,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[301,1602,595],"class_list":["post-34459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","tag-art","tag-performance-art","tag-visual-art"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34459"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34470,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34459\/revisions\/34470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"painting](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2024\/10\/Leticias-Dear-Friend-by-William-Paul-Thomas-e1728658974513.jpeg\")
\nJan. 6 – Feb. 7, 2025
\nArtist talk and reception: Thursday, Jan. 23<\/p>\n
\nFeb. 17-March 28<\/p>\n
\nApril 7-May 9
\nOpening Reception: Friday, April 11<\/p>\n