Inaugural Forum for Southern Art and Culture

The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University announces the launch of a new initiative: “The Auburn Forum for Southern Art and Culture.” This inaugural event, a half-day symposium featuring acclaimed artists and scholars, will take place on Saturday, February 3 at the museum. The museum is offering a live stream of the afternoon on the YouTube channel, @thejulemuseum.

In line with Auburn University’s core mission of research, outreach and instruction, the Forum aims to establish the museum as a key academic partner in the study of Southern art and culture, connected to museum exhibitions on view in 2024.

“The Jule Collins Smith Museum is uniquely positioned to create a space for dialogue and scholarship about the art and history of the American South,” says Cindi Malinick, museum executive director. “Our location in Auburn, situated at the crossroads in a region rich with arts in all forms—visual art, music, food, literature and fashion—offers an invaluable resource for insight into the region’s complex cultural narratives,” said Malinick. “Inviting these guests to campus enriches student experiences, builds upon Auburn’s impressive scholarship and expands the possibilities.

Malinick added the growing university art collection, including the Imprinting the South Collection, already features numerous artists influenced by and from the South and is another reason to collaborate with faculty, museum professionals and other universities.

The inaugural Forum features an exceptional lineup of speakers, including:

Artists: Bethany Collins (exhibiting artist), Joy Harjo (23rd Poet Laureate of the United States), Walter Hood (exhibiting artist), Lonnie Holley (exhibiting artist), Elizabeth M. Webb (exhibiting artist and filmmaker).

Scholars: Aleesa Pitcharman Alexander, PhD (Halperin Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and Co-Director, Asian American Art Initiative, Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University) / Janet Dees (Steven and Lisa Munster Tananbaum, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University) / Taneshia West Albert (Assistant Professor, Consumer and Design Sciences, College of Human Sciences, Auburn)

The afternoon program will feature one-on-one conversations between pairs, delving into themes of memory, place and agency explored in current exhibitions at the museum.

Established in honor of the museum’s 20th birthday in 2023, “The Auburn Forum for Southern Art and Culture” aspires to become an annual tradition, attracting leading scholars, artists and the public to engage in critical dialogues about the South’s rich and multifaceted artistic landscape through museum exhibitions.

“The Jule is a place where innovative scholarship centered on visual arts can be experienced in a museum setting. The Forum will contribute to vital conversations already happening across campus and throughout the region in a unique way,” said Malinick.

Registration for the Forum is now open. Admission is free for Auburn University students, faculty, and staff, and 25 USD for the general public. To register and learn more, please visit the museum’s website.