When the world shifts and changes strike in cataclysmic ways, art can be a mirror and a compass, revealing who we are in the moment and pointing to new possibilities. Artists take up the cause of our collective social conscience and challenge prevailing ideas, express human aspirations, define struggles, or model roads forward. And maybe make something else entirely. The call went out to all, including UNLV faculty, staff, alumni, and community members, to address the concept of "Justice." What came back was a range of art that tackled topics engendered by "Justice" from police brutality and Black Lives Matter to transgender civil rights, protest, decay and erosion, lives lost, equity and reform. All media was welcome, and submissions were received including performance and dance videos, drawings, paintings, collages, photographs, mosaics, posters, illustrations and poetry. Thank you to all who entered! Presented here are the selections agreed upon by the jurors as their Juror’s Choices.
"In difficult times, artists and designers are often the first citizens to use their skills to reflect, persuade, or respond to issues directly and indirectly," said chair of art Marcus Civin. "In other words, visual art is not just decoration; it is visual communication. It can provoke conversation, deliver messages, and model pathways forward. I am so proud of our extended community of students, faculty, alumni, and friends for participating in this online exhibition."
"" virtual exhibition was proposed and executed amidst a national reawakening to an ill that’s been plaguing us for a very long time," said Jerry Schefcik, director of UNLV galleries. "Artists are not ones to stay quiet when the onus is so critical, and they responded to the call with poignant observations on who we are and what needs to be fixed. The response was terrific. Thank you to all who entered!"
