AUC Art Collective

AUC Art Collective The Atlanta University Center Collective for the Study of Art History & Curatorial Studies (AUC Art C

Art History and Curatorial Studies students participating in our spring workshop - Inside Exhibition Development: A Work...
05/27/2026

Art History and Curatorial Studies students participating in our spring workshop - Inside Exhibition Development: A Workshop Series for Aspiring Curators had the opportunity to meet Amy Sherald to tour and discuss her show, Amy Sherald: American Sublime at the High Museum! Check out the reel on the High Museum’s page !!

May 11 | Senior Luncheon!
05/27/2026

May 11 | Senior Luncheon!

Apr 28 | Art History Thesis PresentationsOur sixth cohort of Art History majors presented their theses. The Art History ...
05/27/2026

Apr 28 | Art History Thesis Presentations

Our sixth cohort of Art History majors presented their theses. The Art History Thesis is a work of independent research undertaken by graduating seniors in consultation with Art History and Curatorial Studies faculty members as well as curators and other professionals in the museum field and art world.

It was wonderful to witness this exciting culmination of their studies!

Candice Lawrie - Process As Power: Adding Value to the Black Art Aesthetic

Asata Young - Material as Strategy: Institutional Scarcity and Black Feminist Artistic Practice under and beyond the WPA

Nina Gilbert - Contemporary Intersectional Women’s Artist Collectives:
Organized Artistry in the Face of Oppression

Olivia Jones - Exploring the Power of Healing through Art

Daniel Brown - The Absorption of Radical Intent: The Avant-Garde and the Limits of Artistic Subversion within Institutional Frameworks

Amaya Loubeau - From Venus to Video Vixens: Black Women’s Sexuality in Contemporary Art and Music

Maya Manley - The Aesthetics of Protest

Savannah Woodson Reeves - The Art of Masquerading: Examining the Influence of Masquerade & Carnival in the Work of Ebony G. Patterson and David Sanou

Thank you Curatorial Studies minor, Dante Grange for the installation images and behind the scenes video!! (See the prev...
05/06/2026

Thank you Curatorial Studies minor, Dante Grange for the installation images and behind the scenes video!!

(See the previous reel for the opening)
Apr 1 | Our Curatorial Studies minors enrolled in the Curatorial Practicum class led by Dr Chad Dawkins, opened their exhibition “Flee Market” (April 1-30, 2026) on April 1st. Curatorial Practicum is the final course in the minor and allows students to curate an original exhibition.

“Flee Market” Curatorial Statement

Our marketplace is the evidence of what we flee from. These artists come together to alchemize what it means to create their own visual languages to serve their own self-determination. Escapism permeates this space through the remnants of loss, creation, nostalgia, and memory. Much like the markets we
move through, our perspectives converge into a rich, visually stimulating atmosphere. Here materiality, composition, and medium speak to an embodied emotional history, consumption, and the systems we live within.

Congratulations to all of our Curatorial Studies minors on a fabulous show!!

Mar 27 | 5th Annual Symposium: Archival ActivismThe Fifth Annual AUC Art Collective Symposium, Archival Activism, consid...
05/02/2026

Mar 27 | 5th Annual Symposium: Archival Activism

The Fifth Annual AUC Art Collective Symposium, Archival Activism, considers the archive as a vehicle for social change and empowerment while serving as an essential resource for artistic practice — upholding diverse art historical and cultural legacies.

During the symposium, scholars, archivists, artists and students participated in conversations, workshops, tours and panel discussions that activated the archive and its central role in art, history, culture and the future!

9:15AM – 10:15AM | KEYNOTE CONVERSATION: ARCHIVING OUR CULTURAL LEGACIES
Dorothy Berry
Derek Mosley(Morehouse College ‘09)
Holly Smith, College Archivist, Spelman College

10:30AM – 11:15AM | PANEL: MAKING ARCHIVES MATTER
N’Kosi Oates, Ph.D.
Jontyle Robinson, Ph.D.
Clint Fluker, Ph.D.,(Morehouse College ’08)
Meredith Evans, Ph.D. (Clark Atlanta University ‘94)
Margaret Nagawa

12:00PM – 1:45PM
ARCHIVE SPOTLIGHTS & MUSEUM VISITS

Spelman College Archives

Black Visual Arts Archives: Increasing Access at the CAU Art Museum

AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library Archives Research Center
* Archival Exhibition - The Eternal Flame: The Games that Changed Atlanta
* Archival Spotlight - Selections from the Michael and Claire Oliver collection of African art books.

Exhibitions:
CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM
UNCOMMON NATURE: The Abstractions of Freddie Styles

SPELMAN COLLEGE MUSEUM OF FINE ART
Repossessions

Calida Rawles: Away with the Tides

2:00PM – 2:45PM CONVERSATION: WHEN HOME IS A PHOTOGRAPH: BLACKNESS AND BELONGING IN THE WORLD WITH LEIGH RAIFORD, PH.D.

Leigh Raiford, Ph.D.
Cheryl Finley, Ph.D.

2:50PM – 3:50PM HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS: (1)ARCHIVAL CURATION IN THE DIGITAL SPACE WITH JASMINE DENNIE

(2) PERSONAL ARCHIVING: ONE PHOTO AT A TIME WITH SIERRA KING

4:00PM – 5:00PM CLOSING CONVERSATION: CALIDA RAWLES ON ART, ARCHIVES & LEGACY

Calida Rawles (Spelman College ’98)

Sandra Jackson-Dumont

5:00PM – 6:00PM EXHIBITION VISIT: CALIDA RAWLES: AWAY WITH THE TIDES. Photography by John Stephens of JAS Photo

(Swipe to learn about our exciting opportunity with Dr. Alberta Whittle!)Join acclaimed artist, Alberta Whittle at Spelm...
04/23/2026

(Swipe to learn about our exciting opportunity with Dr. Alberta Whittle!)

Join acclaimed artist, Alberta Whittle at Spelman College who will be on campus to collaborate, experiment and create!

Students may apply to serve as studio assistants during Alberta’s residency taking place September 17-25, 2026! Apply online for a studio assistant position by April 29.

Participating students (studio assistants) will reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the Department of Art & Visual Culture. While in residence, Alberta Whittle will create, meet and interact with faculty and students. Additionally, she will give a public lecture, participate in a lunch and learn and studio visits.

About Alberta Whittle:

Alberta Whittle (b. 1980, Bridgetown) lives and works in Glasgow. Whittle’s multifaceted practice is preoccupied with developing a personal response to the legacies of the Atlantic slave trade, unpicking its connections to institutional racism, white supremacy and climate emergency in the present. Against an oppressive political background Whittle aims to foreground hope and engage with different forms of resistance.

In 2024, Whittle presented an exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts Philadelphia with Dominique White, as well as presenting a new solo commission at Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute. In 2023, Whittle produced a major exhibition of her career to date at Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One), Edinburgh. She represented Scotland in the 59th Venice Biennale and is a 2022 recipient of the Paul Hamlyn Awards for Artists. In 2020, she was awarded a Turner Bursary and the Frieze Artist Award. She was the Margaret Tait Award winner for 2018/19. Whittle recently received a PhD from the University of Edinburgh.

Read more: https://www.albertawhittlestudio.com/about

Photo credit: Matthew A Williams

Join us for an evening of scholarship! In person at Spelman or live online.The Art History Thesis is a work of independe...
04/21/2026

Join us for an evening of scholarship! In person at Spelman or live online.

The Art History Thesis is a work of independent research undertaken by graduating seniors in consultation with Art History and Curatorial Studies faculty members as well as curators and other professionals in the museum field and art world.
The written thesis is an argument created by the students from their own close reading, comprehension, interpretation, understanding and critical analysis of multiple sources, both primary and secondary. This is a “capstone” experience for the seniors, allowing them to synthesize coursework with critical viewing, writing, thinking and research skills as applicable to the discipline. Their theses mark their first steps of emerging scholars well-versed in the rigors of the field of art history.
Student Presentation Schedule:
5:30 Introduction
5:40PM-7:00PM
Daniel Brown - The Absorption of Radical Intent: The Avant-Garde and the Limits of Artistic Subversion within Institutional Frameworks
Nina Gilbert - Contemporary Intersectional Women’s Artist Collectives:
Organized Artistry in the Face of Oppression
Olivia Jones - Exploring the Power of Healing through Art
Candice Lawrie - Process As Power: Adding Value to the Black Art Aesthetic
Break
7:20PM-8:30PM
Amaya Loubeau - From Venus to Video Vixens: Black Women’s Sexuality in Contemporary Art and Music
Maya Manley - The Aesthetics of Protest
Savannah Woodson Reeves - The Art of Masquerading: Examining the Influence of Masquerade & Carnival in the Work of Ebony G. Patterson and David Sanou
Asata Young - Material as Strategy: Institutional Scarcity and Black Feminist Artistic Practice under and beyond the WPA

Please RSVP if you’re interested in watching either online or in-person at Spelman.

Mar 17-19 | Art Insider x LVMH ParisWith generous grant funding from Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), students, staf...
04/16/2026

Mar 17-19 | Art Insider x LVMH Paris

With generous grant funding from Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), students, staff and faculty from the AUC Art Collective traveled to Paris!

SAVC 291: The Luxury Industry & Art Market is a year-long special topics seminar that explores the intersection of art history and luxury branding through the lens of LVMH, the world leader in luxury.

Pictured here:

1-3 studio visit with Raphaël Barontini

4-7 The group at Le Bon Marche

8 La Galerie Dior

9-12 The group at the museum at the historic home of Louis Vuitton in Asnières

13 Part of the group tours Paris on les Bateau Mouches

14 A view of Paris landmarks from Hotel Dames des Artes

Spelman Students Take Paris: Inside The Exclusive LVMH Immersion Experience by MECCA PRYORLVMH brought 11 Atlanta Univer...
04/14/2026

Spelman Students Take Paris: Inside The Exclusive LVMH Immersion Experience by MECCA PRYOR

LVMH brought 11 Atlanta University Center students to Paris for an exclusive, firsthand look inside the luxury conglomerate.

On March 17th and 18th, LVMH opened the doors of its luxury world to a select group of students from the Atlanta University Center as part of their year-long partnership. Students enrolled in The Luxury Industry and the Art Market course culminated their studies with an immersive experience in Paris—gaining firsthand access to LVMH’s expansive luxury portfolio. They offered not just a trip, but a rare, behind-the-scenes educational, global luxury experience. 

“Having the opportunity to take my students to ‘the room where it happens’ transformed classroom learning into an intimate, behind-the-scenes exploration of LVMH. Through thoughtfully curated site visits, the essence of savoir-fairebecame tangible,” Cheryl Finley—Walton Endowed Professor at Spelman College and Director of the Atlanta University Center Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective—tells ESSENCE. 

Read or listen to the full article on essence.com!

https://www.essence.com/fashion/spelman-students-take-paris-inside-the-exclusive-lvmh-immersion-experience/

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