Bingham Gallery and new Museum Studies Lab, OPEN/WORK, host exhibitions in printmaking and photography, opening in December. 

On view: Dec.4, 2023-Feb.29, 2024

Reception: Thursday, Dec.7, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Opening December 4, Bingham gallery will feature two unique exhibits. The first in the main gallery, Reductions: A Selection of prints from the SVS permanent collection and the second, in the newly piloted OPEN/WORK: MU Museum Studies Lab, a student gallery taking on experimental exhibition design. Please join us in the last exhibition of 2023, with these exciting displays that celebrate the work of our alumni, faculty and current students, and their connection to the world of image-making. An opening reception will be held Thursday, December 7, 5:30-7:30 p.m. with light refreshments and presentations from the students. Gallery hours are 8:30-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and all of the Gallery’s programs are free and open to the public. 

Reductions: A Selection of prints from the SVS permanent collection 

Over 50 prints from the School of Visual Studies permanent collection were selected to display in this first-of-its-kind exhibition. The collection, largely consisting of serigraphs, but also other types of prints, photographs and paintings, is housed at the State Historical Society of Missouri and contains works from internationally esteemed printmakers such as Christiaan Karel Appel, former students, former faculty, and visiting artists.  

Endangered Stories: Student Perspectives on POYi 

Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the SVS Museum Studies course selected photographs from MU’s Pictures of the Year International (POYi) archive to curate Endangered Stories. The show weaves together two narratives. One highlights the stories and struggles captured by photojournalists, who connected specific events to broader social, political, and environmental concerns. The other underscores the resonance of those moments with students today, who see contemporary concerns in these historical records. Together, they speak to the role of archives in preserving the past and composing new histories. 

OPEN/WORK: MU Museum Studies Lab 

Open Work is an exhibition space devoted to student research in museal display, engagement, and interpretation. Recognizing the gallery as a medium in itself, students think creatively and critically about sites of representation as well as their cultural roles and responsibilities. Open Work presents student-led collaborations that experiment with design strategies, cultural presentations, audience engagement, and educational programming. 

Bingham Gallery 

The Bingham Gallery is an exhibition space and living laboratory for contemporary art practice and interpretation. Central to the interdisciplinary curriculum of the School of Visual Studies, the gallery provides a platform for critical thinking across media, disciplines, cultures, and contexts. Through the exhibition of a diverse array of artwork created by student, emerging, established, and visiting artists, the gallery provides the SVS, university, and local communities with opportunities for direct involvement and exchange with the visual arts; informs and deepens the curriculum taught in the School of Visual Studies; serves as a training ground for students as emerging arts professionals in the arts economy. 

The School of Visual Studies 

Established in 2017, the MU School of Visual Studies merges four disciplines: art, art history, film studies, and digital storytelling. This dynamic program aims to graduate future generations of outstanding critical thinkers, inventive problem solvers, and makers of conscientious, well-crafted art while preparing them for professional careers in the contemporary art world.