JACKSON, Tenn. — Sept. 1, 2022 — Union University’s art gallery will host a special semester-long exhibition from internationally known artist, Marc Chagall, and his famous work of visual representations from the Bible. The exhibit of Chagall’s work will be free and open to the public from Sept. 6 to Dec. 2.
Chagall’s rich artistic symbolism displays imaginative portrayals of Old Testament stories, and his work has been featured in Paris’ Palais Garnier, the Art Institute of Chicago, the United Nations Headquarters and more. In light of Chagall’s devout Jewish faith, he was deeply convicted by the celebration of Scripture.
Haelim Allen, associate professor of art at Union, said she hopes the exhibit will help educate the community on Chagall’s influence in modern art. Union University’s Chagall art exhibit will be the first internationally known artist to be represented in the local Jackson community.
Allen said she hopes this message inspires Union students and the Jackson community to use art as a platform to connect with others in meaningful ways and to celebrate God as the ultimate source of all creativity.
“For Chagall, art was about delighting in the gift of creativity through various media, but he also wanted his art to be personable and relatable,” Allen said. “He went against the exclusive art elitists of his day by creating work that related to the common people.”
Union University professors, alumni and friends also created a collection of responses to Chagall’s art. Their work corresponds to chosen pieces from Chagall’s collection and will be displayed in the Barefoots Joe coffee shop and third floor of the Logos. The collection features a variety of creative responses to Chagall’s art, including poetry, ceramics and music compositions.
Cody Curtis, Union assistant professor of composition and theory, will host a special faculty recital on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. in Hartley Hall, including original music compositions inspired by Chagall’s famous “King David” visual art.
The Union University art department will also host a panel discussion about Chagall’s inspiration and artistic influence on Oct. 20 at 5:30 p.m. in Harvey Auditorium. To learn more about Union’s semester-long Marc Chagall exhibit and accompanying events, visit uu.edu/events.