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Celebrating 20 Years! Where Art Meets Community

The Stories Behind Contemporary Art

The Stories Behind Contemporary Art

Wednesday, October 14, 2026 6:30 PM - Wednesday, November 18, 2026 7:30 PM (EDT)

Description

The class reveals the stories behind some of the most popular contemporary art and artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Participants will learn how to look at contemporary art with a trained eye. We will examine various art genres including sculpture, painting, printmaking, digital, and installation. We will also look at locations that house these artworks such as museums, galleries, art fairs, private homes, and public landscapes. Students will leave knowing the backstory of select contemporary art and artists, and with the ability to speak a new art language. Come with the curiosity to learn about several significant artists who have impacted visual culture. We will investigate artists ranging from Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat to Kara Walker, Glenn Ligon, and Simone Leigh.


Register by 10/12.

Ages 16+


Instructor Bio:

Veronica Jackson (b. Washington, DC) creates symbolic remembrance work that honors and illuminates Black women who mark, claim, and take up space. Her background as an interpretive exhibit designer and architect form the foundation of her visual art practice. Her work tells stories utilizing familiar objects and text. Jackson holds an MA in Visual & Critical Studies from CCA, San Francisco and a BS in Architecture from UVA, Charlottesville. Jackson has exhibited in group and solo shows including NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, NYC; Verge Center for the Arts, Sacramento, CA; FLOW Art Festival, Chroma Projects, McGuffey Art Center, Piedmont Virginia Community College, and UVA’s School of Architecture, all in Charlottesville, VA; The Arts Center in Orange, Orange, VA; Bower Center for the Arts, Bedford, VA; Riverviews Artspace and Daura Museum of Art at University of Lynchburg, both in Lynchburg, VA; InLight/1708 Gallery, Visual Arts Center of Richmond, and The Branch Museum of Design, all in Richmond, VA. Her work lives in the collections of private individuals, as well as the Virginia Humanities, Charlottesville and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond.

Pricing

$90 per participant

Bower Center for the Arts
305 N. BRIDGE STREET
Bedford, VA 24523 United States
Event Contact
Anna Filiaggi
540-586-4235
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Wednesday, October 14, 2026 6:30 PM - Wednesday, November 18, 2026 7:30 PM (EDT)

Wednesdays 10/14-11/18 6:30-7:30PM

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