Meyers Gallery on UC s MainStreet Serves as Space for Community to Gather and Engage

Starting Aug. 6, the University of Cincinnati will open the doors of the

Philip M. Meyers, Jr. Memorial Gallery

in the heart of MainStreet as an interactive communal space featuring an exhibit entitled “drawn.” Chalkboard walls will invite students, faculty and staff to express their views and experts will share their work to promote understanding and encourage dialogue among all members of our community.

The exhibit,created by UC’s

College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning

, serves as the backdrop for how the university’s chief academic officer and

Provost Beverly Davenport

has drawn on resources from across campus to promote understanding and community after the shooting death of Samuel DuBose on July 19, 2015, by a UC police officer.

“drawn” will open to the public as an empty canvas for community members to compose as well as connect with one another through words, images and ideas that take shape on the chalkboards and through other forms of work presented in the gallery

“At UC, we must all work together to support both self-expression and understanding,” said Davenport. “Creating this gallery space begins an important process for us that will continue in the coming weeks and months. I see a powerful opportunity for us to harness the power of experts from inside and outside of our community to host workshops, seminars, artistic expressions and more. We all need a space to come together to be heard, to reflect and to begin to build an even stronger UC.”

Davenport said the faculty and staff from the College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning  (DAAP) stepped forward immediately with the design concept and have taken the lead in preparing the space, which will be available for a wide range of programming. 

“Together, we can start to orchestrate a collaborative symphony of hands working to embrace healing and pathways forward in diversity awareness and education,” said Joe Girandola, director of DAAP’s MFA Program in Fine Arts and the creative director of the exhibit.

The Provost has been working in collaboration with the Division of Student Affairs and academic deans to organize university experts who have come forward to offer their expertise to her, President Ono, Student Government and so many others on campus.

From social justice,professors, artists, musicians, radio hosts, student groups, those looking for meeting spaces  special class sessions and workshops, the gallery space will serve as a safe and welcoming center of University life during this challenging time. 

Art History Professor Emerita and former Senior Vice Provost Kristi Nelson will be curating the space for the exhibit which will run throughout the month of August.

In addition to the many programs students are organizing with leadership from the Vice President of

Student Affairs

Debra Merchant and Student Government leaders, deans from the

College of Allied Health Sciences

and the

College of Nursing

came forward immediately, as did leaders from the

College of Law

and the

McMicken College of Arts & Sciences

(A&S). For example, experts from A&S’ Sociology Department will help train student peer leaders who will be discussing

The Other Wes Moore

as part of the Freshman Common Reading Program this year. 

Faculty, staff, students and community members who would like to schedule events in the gallery space between Aug. 6 and Aug. 25 should contact Nelson via email,

Kristi.Nelson@uc.edu

.