VINCENNES, Ind. - “Portraits,” an exhibition that showcases portraits in two different media, photography and painting, will open Nov. 14, 11 a.m. (EST), at Vincennes University’s Shircliff Gallery of Art. The exhibition will run through Dec. 15 and is designed to create a conversation on representation and identity in today’s climate of social change.

The exhibition will open with a reception and a presentation by artist Keily Anderson-Staley about her series, “[Hyphen] Americans.” The exhibition is composed of more than 130 unique wet-plate collodion tintype portraits. This body of work depicts a broad cross-section of American faces that resist immediate categorization. Each sitter, identified only by a first name, defiantly assert his or her self-hood, staring back at the viewer with a bold, penetrating intensity. Copies of her new book, “On a Wet Bough,” published by Waltz Books, will be available at her talk.

In the series “Portraits of Others,” artist Nathan Madrid investigates culture’s perception of “the other" and "otherness,” ingroups and outgroups, to expose how prescribed labels determine society’s behavior toward a social group because of race, gender, sex, class, and religion. Through his paintings, viewers are actively challenged to situate themselves in relation to those depicted, to embrace the diversity of others or marginalize them. Madrid will present an artist talk on his work on Nov. 30, 11 a.m., at the Gallery.

Anderson-Staley will also present a free workshop on the wet-plate collodion tintype process on Nov. 15-16, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Seating is limited to registration is required. Call 812-888-4316 or email afields@vinu.edu.

Admission is free and the Gallery is located in the Shircliff Humanities Center at the corner of First and Harrison streets. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; and 12 Noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, contact Arthur Fields, director of Shircliff Gallery, 812-888-4316, afields@vinu.edu.

The Vincennes University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.  VU has transferred graduates to more than 70 four-year colleges and professional art schools around the country.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Keliy Anderson-Staley was raised off the grid in Maine, studied photography in New York City and currently lives and teaches photography at the University of Houston in Texas. She holds a BA from Hampshire College in Massachusetts and an MFA in photography from Hunter College in New York. Anderson-Staley is well-known for her portrait work with the 19th century wet-plate collodion process. She has worked with this process, commonly called tintype, for more than 11 years.

Nathan Madrid lives and works in Fort Worth, Texas, and is a full-time lecturer at Texas A&M University. He primarily studied at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, completing his BFA and earning an MFA at TWU.

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