For immediate use
UNC-Chapel Hill’s Stone Center hosts celebrated artist Stefanie Jackson for spring exhibition, ‘La Sombra y el Espiritu IV – The Work of Stefanie Jackson’
(Chapel Hill, N.C. – Jan. 12, 2016) – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Sonja Haynes Stone Center will feature noted artist Stefanie Jackson’s exhibition, “La Sombra y el Espiritu IV: Figurative Visions and Collective Histories – The Work of Stefanie Jackson,” Feb. 11 – May 13 at the Center’s Robert and Sallie Brown Gallery and Museum.
Jackson, a professor of drawing and painting at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia, is one of the most important African American contemporary figurative artists exploring contemporary social and political events. She has used her oil paintings, lithographs, drawings and etchings to re-examine important historical moments in African-American and U.S. history such as the Atlanta race riots and the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans.
Noted for its figurative social expressionism that shapes complex, visual narratives, Jackson’s work directly challenges viewers to engage by repositioning everyday elements of life that are viewed as static, a technique she uses to disrupt and then resituate the viewer’s visual center of balance.
Jackson grounds her explorations in the real, lived experiences of the landscapes and individuals she depicts. Her work often references the problems of cities where she has resided in the past, including the plight of public housing in New Orleans, the decaying urban communities of Detroit and the troubled French colonial history of New Orleans. Though the unvarnished, harsh truths expressed through her work have sometimes unsettled audiences used to more hopeful ideas in art. Jackson has responded that, “I just paint life, and sometimes life is difficult.”
Jackson has been featured in exhibitions and galleries around the country, including the African American Museum in Dallas, The Harriet Tubman Museum and the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum in Philadelphia. Select group and solo exhibitions include, Groundstory: Tales From the Shade of the South, Tradition Redefined: The Larry and Brenda Thompson Collection of African American Art and The Black Family at the Haggerty Museum.
Jackson received her BFA from Parsons School of Design in 1979 and her MFA from Cornell University in 1988.
An opening reception for the exhibition, featuring an artist talk by Jackson, will take place on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m.. “La Sombra y el Espiritu IV: Figurative Visions and Collective Histories – The Work of Stefanie Jackson” will be on display through May 13. The gallery is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. or by appointment. For information on the exhibition call 919-962-9001 or visit www.stonecenter.unc.edu.
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About the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, is a global higher education leader known for innovative teaching, research and public service. A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, Carolina regularly ranks as the best value for academic quality in U.S. public higher education. Now in its third century, the University offers 77 bachelor’s, 113 master’s, 68 doctorate and seven professional degree programs through 14 schools and the College of Arts and Sciences. Every day, faculty – including two Nobel laureates – staff and students shape their teaching, research and public service to meet North Carolina’s most pressing needs in every region and all 100 counties. Carolina’s more than 308,000 alumni live in all 50 states and 150 countries. More than 167,000 live in North Carolina.
Stone Center contact: Clarissa Goodlett, (919) 962-0395, cgoodlet@email.unc.edu
Communications and Public Affairs contact: MC VanGraafeiland, (919) 962-7090, mc.vangraafeiland@unc.edu.