Exhibitions Policy
The exhibitions program supports the mission of the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery and the educational goals of St. Lawrence University. Exhibitions at the Gallery are intended to enrich the liberal arts curriculum of the University and to provide an educational and scholarly forum outside the classroom, laboratory, and studio. Faculty and student participation are essential to the exhibition program, from research and planning to installations and related educational programs. Faculty are encouraged to utilize exhibitions in their courses and to engage students in the study of original works of art.
The rotating exhibitions program is broadly based, presenting diverse media and genres. Contemporary and historical exhibitions include creative work by regional, national, and international artists. Exhibitions are organized and curated by Gallery staff, University faculty, guest curators, and traveling exhibitions organizations, drawing objects from the University’s Permanent Collection, museums and arts institutions, artists, private lenders, and commercial galleries. By presenting significant works and exhibitions utilizing high standards of display, the Gallery strives to be recognized for excellence in aesthetics and scholarly and cultural activities.
The Richard F. Brush Art Gallery presents a program of rotating individual and group exhibitions in three adjacent galleries. The exhibition schedule is planned to recognize the four-year tenure of individual students at St. Lawrence. The annual exhibitions schedule includes exhibition(s) directly related to the scholarly and classroom needs of the fine arts faculty, exhibitions(s) organized from the Permanent Collection, a Juried Student Art Exhibition, and exhibitions(s) that are part of the St. Lawrence University Festival of the Arts. One exhibition each year is designated the Barnes Endowment exhibition, in recognition of the generosity of Carlyle and Betty Barnes, parents of three St. Lawrence graduates.
The Gallery accepts exhibition proposals from faculty, students, staff, independent artists, and curators. After consultation with the Gallery Director, proposals are submitted in writing and include a description of the exhibition and its goals, a list of artists and/or objects, and a preliminary budget. After feasibility is determined, responsibilities and resources for projects are negotiated utilizing the Gallery’s exhibition checklist. Gallery staff meet with art department faculty as needed to discuss proposals and to recommend an exhibitions schedule. The Gallery Director is responsible for determining and implementing the exhibitions program in recognition of the objectives described in this policy.
The exhibitions program is complemented by related educational materials and activities such as catalogues and instructional texts, public lectures and panel discussions, demonstrations, and critiques devised by faculty, students, and staff. Individual and class tours are provided by Gallery staff, students, curators, and artists upon request. The Gallery seeks to make exhibitions and activities available to the St. Lawrence and regional communities through regular daytime, evening, and weekend hours or by appointment.
The Gallery is named in recognition of Richard F. Brush, Class of 1952.
Approved by the Art Gallery and University Collections Committee and the Dean of Academic Affairs (February 1994).