With the hopes of getting a glimpse into the minds of Brandeis faculty and staff, the JustArts exhibition is currently seeking submissions for the fall 2016 show.
Founded by Acting Director of the Office of the Arts Ingrid Schorr in 2009, the biannual exhibit welcomes all forms of art. “Some of the highlights have been unexpected forms of art like comic books, an embroidered chuppah, a model ‘art car,’ handmade glass,” Schorr said. She looks forward to seeing what the Brandeis community thinks about in their spare time and how they interpret it artistically. Past submissions in the 2010, 2012 and 2014 shows have included paintings, photography, jewelry, textile, drawings and videos.
Schorr chose to display the pieces in Dreitzer Gallery in Spingold Theater because “it’s the largest exhibition space on campus except for the Rose, which shows only work by professional artists.”
Planning for the exhibit began over the summer with a call to artists, budgetary work, social media and planning the opening reception. It takes the planning committee, which includes staff from Library and Technology Services (LTS), the Office of Communications, the Department of Fine Arts and the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences about four months to put JustArts together.
Past participants in the exhibition have included staff from LTS, the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, athletics, enrollment, the National Center for Jewish Film, as well as academic departments like theater arts, psychology and biology, with the largest cohorts from LTS and biology. Because the arts faculty often exhibits their work at a professional level, they tend not to submit entries to JustArts. Schorr said she hopes to receive entries from facilities and dining services staff this year since those departments have been underrepresented in previous JustArts exhibitions.
2014’s JustArts included paintings by theater professor Susan Dibble, who created her art alongside her production, “Shoes On, Shoes Off,” performed at Brandeis last semester. Also featured were paintings of pueblo pottery by psychology professor Mick Watson and photography by Hiatt Career Center Marketing Director Monika Bach Schroeder.
The application deadline for JustArts 2016 is Wednesday, Oct. 5. Submissions must be original work, preferably created within the past five years. Applicants may submit up to five works in any media.
