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The Sordoni Art Gallery at Wilkes University presents Loud Silence: Expressions of Activism Oct. 23 to Dec. 16

The exhibition features the work of a Fulbright scholar, as well as Guggenheim, MacArthur and National Endowment for the Arts fellows

Wilkes-Barre, PA (10/09/2018) — The Sordoni Art Gallery at Wilkes University presents Loud Silence: Expressions of Activism from Oct. 23 to Dec. 16. Curated by Heather Sincavage, assistant professor and director of the Sordoni Art Gallery, the exhibition examines silenced communities and artists who create awareness around those communities.

The exhibition features the works of 39 artists and focuses on the unique perils of living while a woman, while of color, while indigenous, while LGBTQ, and while an immigrant. The exhibition calls on the viewer to examine their own blind spots and understand suffering they may have never known through art. It features the work of Judy Chicago, named on the 2018 list of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people, and Kara Walker, a 1997 MacArthur Genius Fellow. Other notable artists include Ana Mendieta, Cannupa Hanska Luger and Jenny Holzer.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Sordoni Art Gallery will host events and discussions surrounding the works.

  • Curator's Tour and Reception, 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 24: Sincavage will provide a free, guided tour at 5 p.m. with a light reception from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
  • "Inspired to Act: Why Young Women Combat Sexism," 12 p.m. on Oct. 30: Women have taken action against sexual assault by joining movements such as #MeToo. This lecture presented by Jennifer Thomas, Wilkes associate professor of psychology, examines why some women take action while others do not and how factors may influence a feminist identity.
  • Out of Silence: Activism and Empathy in the Art of Elizabeth Catlett," 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 7: The art of Elizabeth Catlett is grounded in what she regarded as the historically based necessity to give voice to the lives and experiences of those who have historically been forced into silence. This lecture presented by Melanie Herzog, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences and professor of art history at Edgewood College, will examine what Catlett believed art could do: raise consciousness of injustice, expose abuses of power, and illuminate possibilities for social transformation.
  • Film Screening of "Human Flow," 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 14: Artist, activist and director, Ai Weiwei captures the global refugee crisis - the greatest human displacement since World War II - in the breathtakingly epic film journey.

For more information, visit www.wilkes.edu/sordoniartgallery.

The $3 million, 7,000-square-foot Sordoni Art Gallery is a culmination of a gallery revitalization plan to enrich the arts for students, faculty and staff while contributing to cultural life in the local community. More than double the size of the former gallery, the new space opened in 2017 and is outfitted for high-end national art exhibitions and includes versatile opportunities for teaching and learning. The gallery shares space with the Karambelas Media and Communication Center at 141 S. Main St. in Wilkes Barre.

About Wilkes University:

Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence through mentoring in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. Founded in 1933, the university is on a mission to create one of the great small universities, offering all of the programs, activities and opportunities of a large, research university in the intimate, caring and mentoring environment of a small, liberal arts college, at a cost that is increasingly competitive with public universities. The Economist named Wilkes 25th in the nation for the value of its education for graduates. In addition to 47 majors, Wilkes offers 25 master's degree programs and five doctoral/terminal degree programs, including the doctor of philosophy in nursing, doctor of nursing practice, doctor of education, doctor of pharmacy, and master of fine arts in creative writing. Learn more at www.wilkes.edu.

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