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Monday 10am - 4pm Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

Fisk University Art Galleries

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Fisk University Art Galleries

Fisk University is home to The Carl Van Vechten Gallery and The Aaron Douglas Gallery. Paul Cezanne, Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Henry O.

Fisk University Galleries provide a welcoming environment and foster an appreciation and understanding of art through exhibitions, educational programs and research. The galleries maintain a permanent collection with over 4,000 objects that span three centuries of art history. Tanner, Elizabeth Catlett, Diego Rivera, Aaron Douglas, Winold Reiss, Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz are just a few

of the acclaimed artists represented in the collection, along with significant examples of African, Oceanic, and Asian art. Works from the collection are exhibited regularly in permanent and temporary installations at the university's Carl Van Vechten Gallery and Aaron Douglas Gallery.

04/02/2026

Materiality of the Sacred

Join us for the opening reception:
April 2, 2026 | 5:30–7:00 PM
Carl Van Vechten Gallery, Fisk University

Materiality of the Sacred brings together multigenerational Black artists from across Tennessee to explore how spirituality, memory, and material practice shape lived experience.

Co-curated by Crafting Blackness co-director Karlota Contreras-Koterbay and Fisk University Art Department Coordinator Lakesha Calvin, the exhibition unfolds through three themes:
• Practice as Revelation
• Faith and Memory
• Embodiment of the Divine

Through craft, ritual, and form, the works on view reveal the sacred as both deeply personal and collectively held—rooted in history, community, and creative expression.

Bridging historical figures and contemporary voices, this exhibition highlights the enduring role of spiritual practice in shaping Black artistic traditions and futures.
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NashvilleArts SpiritualityInArt ContemporaryArt BlackArtists ArtOpening

03/31/2026

Join us tomorrow for an midday conversation.

03/30/2026

Join us for A Conversation on Many Ways of Seeing—a new publication exploring the legacy and complexity of the Alfred Stieglitz Collection at Fisk University.

Bringing together new scholarship and perspectives, the book examines how this historic gift from Georgia O’Keeffe continues to shape conversations around modern art, race, and education in America.

📍 John Hope & Aurelia E. Franklin Library, Fisk University
🗓 Wednesday, April 1
🕔 5:00 PM

In conversation with the co-editors:
Jamaal B. Sheats and Jen Padgett

Sheats is Associate Provost of Art & Culture and Director of Fisk University Galleries.
Padgett is Windgate Curator of Craft at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

03/18/2026

It’s official today is the day. After five years, Many Ways of Seeing is now available.

Proud to have served as co-editor of this project alongside . This work reflects years of research, collaboration, and the contributions of teams at and , our authors and contributors, and countless Fisk students.

This is the first major publication to fully examine the Alfred Stieglitz Collection at Fisk University.

Deeply grateful to everyone who helped bring this project to life, including our partners and the team at Rizzoli.

Now available!!!

11/24/2025

Fisk University Galleries Thanksgiving Holiday Break
The Galleries are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday and will reopen Monday, December 1st.
We appreciate your continued support and look forward to seeing you soon.
Happy Holidays!

— Fisk University Galleries

11/04/2025

Confessions of a Conservator: The Homecoming Edition

LiFran Fort’s Indigo Sunrise, Vol. I – Post 2

Today in the Fisk University conservation studio, I revisited Indigo Sunrise (c.1985), an acrylic painting by Fisk art professor LiFran Fort ’66 — a serene, geometric abstraction of converging lines and an integrated circle rendered in radiant shades of blue.
Its illusion of transparency and light carries echoes of her mentor Aaron Douglas, yet the rhythm and restraint are unmistakably Fort’s own.

Created the same year she returned to Fisk after completing her master’s at the University of Chicago, Indigo Sunrise marks a true homecoming — for both the artist and the department she would soon help shape.

Up close, the painting reveals its journey: an early tear repair, canvas distortions, fine cracks, yellowed varnish, and the soft veil of time.
My treatment will carefully address these issues to prepare the work for In Her Place: Nashville Artists in the Twenty-First Century, opening at the Frist Art Museum in February 2026.

I am especially excited to welcome students into this process — hands-on learning rooted in care, history, and the continuum of Fisk’s creative legacy.

— Christine Gostowski, Registrar & Collections Manager
Fisk University Galleries
November 4, 2025

10/02/2025

Join us in the historic Little Theater for a special screening and filmmaker Q&A of TENACITY: The Edwin & Elise Harleston Story. The film explores the lives of Edwin Augustus Harleston (1882–1931), a portrait artist trained at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and his wife, Elise Forrest Harleston (1891–1970), a professionally trained photographer. Together, they established The Harleston Studio in Charleston, South Carolina, dedicated to creating portraits that challenged the misrepresentation of Black Americans in the early 20th century.

The film is both a tour of early-20th-century American fine art and a story of determination and heartbreak. Harleston’s connection to Fisk University is central to this story: in 1930, he assisted Aaron Douglas in painting the Cravath Hall murals. His portrait of Douglas at work on the Mural, was featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism, captured this powerful moment of collaboration between the elder and younger artist.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/join-us-edwin-harleston-film-screening-qa-oct-9-fisk-university-tickets-1757681626059?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/30/2025

Join us for TENACITY: The Edwin & Elise Harleston Story, a moving film that explores the lives of Edwin Augustus Harleston (1882–1931) and Elise Forrest Harleston (1891–1970). Together, they founded The Harleston Studio in Charleston, SC—challenging stereotypes and reshaping how Black Americans were represented in the early 20th century.
🎶 Featuring music by Harl Fleming, Edwin’s nephew, the film captures both the triumphs and struggles of two artists whose vision continues to inspire.
📍 The Little Theatre, Fisk University
📅 Thursday, October 9, 2025
🕠 5:30 PM
🎟 Free & open to the public
🔗 Reserve your spot through the link in bio
Don’t miss this powerful story of artistry, resilience, and legacy—highlighting Edwin’s connection to Fisk University through his collaboration with Aaron Douglas on the iconic Cravath Hall murals.

09/23/2025

Confessions of Conservation, Vol. 1
Richard Yarde, The Stoop. 📍 Jubilee Hall “Gold Room,” Fisk University

This monumental triptych, painted in bold blocks of gold, black, brown, white, and deep red, shows three men gathered on a front stoop. As I prepared the work for inclusion in A Month of Sundays, a 2026 Art Bridges traveling exhibition featuring Fisk University Galleries, I had the chance to study Yarde’s technique up close.

His selective varnish, raw brushstrokes, and exposed ground layer create an immediacy that animates the figures. Hands and faces are rendered with just enough detail to feel both candid and universal. The composition is striking, yet the easy mood pulls us in, reminding us of the power of ordinary moments.

Born in Boston, Yarde may have been capturing a familiar scene from his own community. The Stoop is more than paint on canvas. It is an invitation to imagine, to connect, and to see ourselves in stories beyond our own.

Registrar & Collections Manager
Fisk University Galleries

07/14/2025

As we continue upgrading our facilities to better serve you, we will be closed to the public from July 15–23.
Thank you for your patience — we look forward to welcoming you back soon!

06/16/2025

📸 Inference of Memory: The Johnson Publishing Company Archive
🗣️ A Conversation with Jamal Cyrus
📅 Tuesday, June 17, 2025
🕕 6:00–7:00 PM
📍 Appleton Room, Jubilee Hall | Fisk University

Join us for a powerful conversation with artist Jamal Cyrus as he reflects on memory, history, and the Black archive. Known for his richly layered works of collage and assemblage, Cyrus explores Black cultural expression and resistance across the African diaspora.

Don’t miss this special evening!

✨ Presented with support from Getty’s Visions of Black Life: Honoring the Johnson Publishing Company initiative.

Address

1000 17th Avenue North
Nashville, TN
37208

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

(615) 329-8720

Website

https://www.fiskuniversitygalleries.org/

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