FAIRFAX – Mason Exhibitions, a Mason Arts program at George Mason University, offers a multi-venue forum for contemporary visual artists who advance research, dialogue, and learning around global social issues. Through exhibitions and inclusive programming in seven galleries across George Mason’s three Northern Virginia campuses, Mason Exhibitions engages community members around current issues and new ideas through visual art.
“The connecting thread among the exhibitions on view this fall is the examination of oppressive systems throughout human history and the role of artists and thought leaders who not only question and challenge but also inspire individuals to imagine and actualize their visions for change,” said Don Russell, Director of Mason Exhibitions and University Curator.
Nothing Personal: A Collaboration in Black and White is the signature exhibition on offer this fall from Mason Exhibitions. Currently on view at the Gillespie Gallery in the Art and Design Building of George Mason’s Fairfax campus until November 15, the show examines Nothing Personal (1964), a collaborative book by James Baldwin and Richard Avedon which documents a pivotal moment in post-World War II U.S. history through a striking combination of photography and text. The book appeared shortly after President Kennedy’s assassination and just before the Vietnam War protests, Civil Rights activism, and the Space Race, presenting images of celebrity and the celebration of exceptionalism alongside depictions of the corrosive effects of capitalism and racism on society. Programming in support of Nothing Personal features collaborations with the Alan Cheuse International Writer’s Center at George Mason University, including a staged reading of works inspired by Baldwin’s play Blues for Mister Charlie and a symposium exploring themes from Baldwin’s work in the context of contemporary artistry, psychology, gender, and sexuality.
At Mason Exhibitions Arlington, the program’s dedicated gallery space in Arlington adjacent to George Mason’s Mason Square campus, Mason Exhibitions will present Faces and Figures: Identity Through Printmaking Between South Africa and DCfrom September 13 to December 6. Originally curated by George Mason art history students—under the instruction of Associate Professor of History and Art History and Director of African and African American Studies at George Mason University, LaNitra Berger—and displayed on George Mason’s Fairfax campus in the spring, students are continuing to provide volunteer support in the curation and expansion of a new iteration of this show. Mason Exhibitions Associate Curator and Exhibition Manager, Alissa Maru, is augmenting the show with the inclusion of new works by Black printmakers from the local D.C. community.
Admission to all exhibitions and programming is free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Registration details are included within the schedule below.
For more information, visit the Mason Exhibitions webpage.
Fall 2024 Mason Exhibitions Gallery and Programming Schedule:
Exhibitions and Programs on Fairfax Campus:
Nothing Personal: A Collaboration in Black and White
On view September 3–November 15
Open Daily from 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Location: Gillespie Gallery, Art and Design Building, 4515 Patriot Circle Fairfax, VA 22030
Exhibition Opening & Pre-Reception for An Evening of Creative and Critical Discourse Inspired by James Baldwin’s Blues for Mister Charlie
Monday, September 9 from 4:30–6:30 p.m.
Location: Gillespie Gallery, Art and Design Building, 4515 Patriot Circle Fairfax, VA 22030
An Evening of Creative and Critical Discourse Inspired by James Baldwin’s Blues for Mister Charlie
Monday, September 9 from 7–9 p.m.
Location: Center for the Arts, TheaterSpace, 4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030
Meditations on Masculinity and Sexuality in the Life and Art of James Baldwin
Monday, September 16 from 12–1:15 p.m.
Location: Gillespie Gallery, Art and Design Building, 4515 Patriot Circle Fairfax, VA 22030
Evidence of Things Not Seen: Creativity as Reconstruction from Trauma
Monday, September 16 from 1:30–3 p.m.
Location: Gillespie Gallery, Art and Design Building, 4515 Patriot Circle Fairfax, VA 22030
Fall for the Book: Celebrating A.B. Spellman & The Black Arts Movement
Thursday, October 17 from 4:30–6:30 p.m.
Location: Gillespie Gallery, Art and Design Building, 4515 Patriot Circle Fairfax, VA 22030
Exhibitions and Programs at Mason Exhibitions Arlington:
Faces and Figures: Identity Through Printmaking Between South Africa and DC
On view September 13–December 6
Open Thursday–Saturday from 12–5 p.m.
Location: Mason Exhibitions Arlington, 3601 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201
Film Screening & Opening Reception
Saturday, September 21 from 2–5 p.m.
Location: Mason Exhibitions Arlington, 3601 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201
Saturday, October 5 from 4–7 p.m.
Location: Mason Exhibitions Arlington, 3601 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201
Friday, November 15 from 6–8 p.m.
Location: Mason Exhibitions Arlington, 3601 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201
Visual Voices Lecture Series on Fairfax Campus and Online:
Presented by Mason Exhibitions and George Mason University’s School of Art
Thursday, September 12 from 4:45–6:30 p.m.
Location: (Hybrid) Zoom and Center for the Arts Concert Hall, 4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030
Thursday, September 26 from 4:45–6:30 p.m.
Location: (Hybrid) Zoom and Center for the Arts Concert Hall, 4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030
VISUAL VOICES with Andriy Dubchak
Thursday, October 24 from 4:45–6:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom only
VISUAL VOICES with Collette Fu
Thursday, November 7 from 4:45–6:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom and Harris Theater, 4471 Aquia Creek Lane, Fairfax, VA 22030
About Mason Exhibitions
Mason Exhibitions offers a multi-venue forum for the presentation of contemporary visual artists who advance research, dialogue, and learning around global social issues. Galleries are located on the Fairfax, Arlington, and Manassas campuses. Through its research partnership with Provisions Research Center for Arts and Social Change, Mason Exhibitions develops cross-disciplinary curatorial platforms to engage questions around philosophy, social justice, the environment, communications, conflict transformation, identity, and technology. www.masonexhibitions.org.
About Mason Arts
Mason Arts encompasses the seven academic programs of George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, seven community arts programs, seven galleries, the Center for the Arts, the Hylton Performing Arts Center, and the digital venue, Mason Arts Amplified. The fusion of academic and professional work on campus and throughout the community is the hallmark of Mason Arts and collectively it creates the largest arts presence in Northern Virginia. The college is home to the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music, the Schools of Art, Dance, and Theater, as well as programs in Arts Management, Computer Game Design, and Film and Video Studies. The college prepares students for careers as creators, performers, teachers, scholars, arts leaders, and arts entrepreneurs, and provides them opportunities to perform, create, and exhibit their work in the wide variety of Mason Arts venues. cvpa.gmu.edu.
