Exhibitions

PRESERVE & PROTECT

The New Gallery (Austin Peay State University) / 730 Joseph St., Dept. of Art + Design November 1, 2021 - December 10, 2021

Anangookwe Wolf, Paul Rucker, Winnie Van der Rijn, Michael Sylvan Robinson, Stephanie Syjuco

Textiles serve to protect us, to tell our stories, and to display our privilege. This exhibition of conceptual works looks at the complex ways in which textiles, particularly garments, tell the stories of the past, present, and future. More than just armor for the body, they relay the resilience of a culture - worn for protection but also as a way to assert one's identity.

The works of Michael Sylvan Robinson, Stephanie Syjuco, Winnie van der Rijn, Anangookwe Wolf and Paul Rucker bear witness to and challenge our shared American history. They question whose histories have had the privilege of being heard and ask for a more inclusive authorship of our shared history.

The notion of a shared history is alluring, but our stories are penned by authors from different perspectives with varying degrees of access to the stage, the pulpit, the megaphone, or perhaps most importantly, the school. Some histories have been historically muted and are only beginning to be heard by a wider audience.