reception

NIAD Annex Gallery Exhibition // “The Way We Are, Now: NIAD Fashion Illustrations”

“The love for fashion spreads, and now the whole studio is thriving off of it,” exhibition curator Shantanice Swain explains.

“For me, fashion is about what you’re comfortable with. It can shift, and it can be anything — clothes, earrings, shoes, drawings. It’s a bold and courageous way of saying, ‘I am who I am today.’” Fashion has the power to affirm and transform: what we wear tells a story about who we are and who we might one day hope to become. Over the past year, artists were encouraged to experiment with materials and draw inspiration from personal histories, pop culture, and future fantasies. Presented here is a selection of works on paper that showcase vibrant and innovative adornments.  Read More …

a portrait of a person with a strawberry-like shape on their forehead and a similar shape on their chin. Heavy-lidded blue eyes, yellow shirt, pale skin, brown hair tucked behind prominent ears. They lean slightly to the right.

July NIAD Artist Talk & Closing Reception

Say hello to NIAD artists and goodbye to our June/July exhibitions!nJoin us in NIAD’s galleries for a lively discussion with artists and curators in the galleries, and light refreshments and art for sale in the studio. Come browse the current shows and check out NIAD’s art-filled workspaces. The exhibitions Now Presenting and care + respite (curated by Simon Tran and Kari Simonsen) are on view through Friday July 19. Read More …

NIAD Annex Gallery Exhibition // “Sisters Shall Be: Raven & Shana Harper”

Raven and Shana Harper have dedicated themselves to their art practice for decades. During their time in the NIAD Studio, they have moved fluidly through different medium to create bodies of work that explore a wide breadth of themes. From flora and fauna, family, sisterhood, pop culture icons and civil rights leaders, this exhibition highlights the multi-disciplinary practices of Raven and Shana Harper. Read More …

Gallery Reception // Sisters Shall Be: Raven & Shana Harper

We didn’t always get along. We spent some years apart but when we both came to work at NIAD, our relationship grew deeper and stronger. Without my sister I don’t know what I would do. She’s my world. I am happy that we have a show together and I know it will be amazing and exciting.  Read More …

A graphic with bold text reading "NIAD Art Center Presents ARTY PARTY". An image of a gemstone with a snippet of art on every facet radiates yellow beams of light from the right hand corner.

NIAD ARTY PARTY: Happy Hour!

Kick off Visual Artists of Richmond Open Studio weekend with cocktails, art and music here at NIAD. Tunes courtesy of KALX DJ Penny Royal and fun n’ fruity sparkling wines courtesy of multimedia artist-cum-vintner Patrick Church. Laugh, mingle, and shake off the week while immersed in NIAD’s outstanding collection of contemporary art. This is the first in a series of events—tell your friends you were at the very first ARTY PARTY! Read More …

“Don’t mind if I do” with work by Felicia Griffin at moCa Cleveland

“Don’t mind if I do” destabilizes rigid ableist and exclusionary museum “best practices” like sparse seating, untouchable objects, dense wall labels, and guards who protect rather than invite engagement. It is a project built upon a framework of flexibility. By welcoming glitches, inviting informality and messiness, and unsettling the hierarchy of objects, “Don’t mind if I do” prioritizes people over artwork and makes more room for us to show up as our full selves. Read More …

Friday July 7 //  “Don’t mind if I do” with work by Felicia Griffin opens at moCa Cleveland

NIAD artist Felicia Griffin and Executive Director Amanda Eicher will be in person at the opening reception for this incredible exhibition! “Don’t mind if I do” destabilizes rigid ableist and exclusionary museum “best practices” like sparse seating, untouchable objects, dense wall labels, and guards who protect rather than invite engagement. It is a project built upon a framework of flexibility. By welcoming glitches, inviting informality and messiness, and unsettling the hierarchy of objects, “Don’t mind if I do” prioritizes people over artwork and makes more room for us to show up as our full selves. Read More …

A graphic promoting an exhibition. Below a row of black cutout star shapes, in the top left of the image, in exuberant black text that has a hand-cut feel, are the words “Feeling Language” in all caps. Below, in the same font, a column lists the artists participating in the exhibition. Each word is separated by a diamond or a star shape. The upper right corner of the image features an artwork by Sara Malpass, credited in the bottom right corner: on a black page with faint white lines, holepunched on the right side, is a list in white handwritten cursive. Below that, in cut-out style font: “Opening Reception Sat Oct 8 1-4pm”

NIAD Gallery Reception // “Feeling Language” organized by Kate Laster

Gallery Reception Saturday October 8 1 to 4PM NIAD Art Center Join us at NIAD Art Center to celebrate our October exhibitions! Main Gallery // Feeling Language, organized by Kate Laster About the Exhibition This show is all about comfort text: resilience in everyday words, writing and reading. Expression can also be wordless, the use of line and color as new vocabulary, pushing a thought out onto a surface, making marks and continuously trying to communicate with the world.  We tell stories to sustain ourselves and find each other. These messages embedded in art become an emotional telegram– a signal flare Read More …