Renowned Artist Radcliffe Bailey Comes to Campus

Photo by Tara Grubbs

Radcliffe Bailey working with Marc Mitchell installing Storm at Sea.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Atlanta-based artist, Radcliffe Bailey will give a lecture at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, in Hillside Auditorium, room 206. The presentation is a complement his exhibition of Storm at Sea, which has been on display in the Fine arts Center Gallery since Jan. 26.

Michael Rooks, curator of modern and contemporary art for the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, described Bailey as "probably the most prominent living artist here in Atlanta" for a 2011 story in the New York Times.

"The Department of Art is always excited when we can brings artists such as Bailey, who have international renown, to our campus," said Marc Mitchell curator and director of exhibitions for the Department of Art in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. "It creates an opportunity for our students to engage with an artist in ways that provide exposure to how professionals think and operate."

Storm at Sea plays on the relationship of the past and present. It visually represents the waves of the ocean, the shipwrecks and lives of slaves taken by sea. The exhibit has made a powerful impact on the students and university community, according to Mitchell.

Bailey's visit to campus allows the department and the university to expand and grow relationships with local entities. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and 21c Museum Hotel, both located in Bentonville, often extend invitations to guest artists hosted by the university.

 "Another benefit of having artists of Mr. Bailey's caliber on campus is that it increases the profile of the Department of Art, Fulbright College and the University of Arkansas," Mitchell said. "The art community both in NWA, as well as nationally, recognize that we are committed to exposing both the university and local community to artwork that is typically found in major markets."

Bailey was previously on campus to oversee the installation of Storm at Sea, which remains on display until Friday, Feb. 20. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 2-5 p.m. Sunday. The muli-media piece includes wood, bottles piano keys, model ships and a found African sculpture. Undergraduate and Master of Fine Arts students worked directly with Bailey on the installation, giving them an opportunity to gain insight on approaches to exhibitions and enhance their knowledge through informal conversations with an acclaimed artist.

Bailey received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Atlanta College of Art in 1991. His work has been displayed in many galleries including the New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain, Connecticut, the Cheekwood Museum of Art in Nashville, Tennessee, the Museum of the University of Houston and several others. His three-dimensional paintings address his life as a young southern African American and African Americans the history.