Message From The Director
As we begin the 2020-21 academic year, I would like to welcome back our students, faculty, staff and visitors to the Natalie and James Thompson Gallery and our student galleries at San Jose State University.
When we abruptly left campus in March 2020, exhibitions in our galleries were frozen
in place, and speakers series lectures rescheduled or cancelled. Visiting artists
and speakers, faculty, staff, and students were asked to rapidly change their modes
of lecture delivery and exhibitions, and many plans were put on hold. Swiftly, creatively
and thoughtfully, students and faculty pivoted to online exhibition platforms and
created group shows that are not only visually striking, but astounding in their nuanced approach to
exploring the effects and visual culture of the global pandemic and current events.
Our BFA and MFA students shifted their thesis exhibitions, a culmination of years of hard work and study,
to online formats and as a result showed not only their talent, but also the professionalism
and expertise that they gained in their time at SJSU.
As we begin this new academic year, I look forward to welcoming you to our gallery
exhibitions and public programs both virtually and in person. While our building will
be open to some in person instruction, the Thompson Art Gallery and student galleries
will be open to visitors by appointment only. This fall we will be featuring Rosa Menkman: Shadow Knowledge a ground-breaking new exhibition by the Dutch new media artist known for her research
on resolution. In November, we will open an exhibition of our own University Art Collection,
a first for the Thompson Gallery. Both of these exhibitions will be available for
online viewing and in person viewing by appointment. Our Tuesday Night Lecture series will also be held entirely online, and will be supplemented by a cross-CSU Art and
Art History lecture program. As with previous years, our lecture series offers attendees
an opportunity to hear from a wide range of artists, curators, designers, thinkers,
and other arts practitioners and brings our students into close contact and conversation
with these individuals.
The Natalie and James Thompson Gallery has always engaged in contemporary dialogues
and welcomed a diverse range of artists and speakers, but this year we would like
to reaffirm our commitment to using our platform in support of Black Lives Matter
and communities of color. We will continue to work to amplify marginalized voices
and offer diverse perspectives through our exhibitions, Tuesday Night Speakers Series,
and programming. We believe in the power of art to bring communities together, to
change perspectives, and to inspire action, and we are committed to bringing together
our students and faculty with visiting artists, designers, curators and arts practitioners
to promote cross-cultural dialogue and foster respect.
I look forward to the day when our galleries will once again be filled with students
and community members and when we can come together to experience the arts. In the
meantime, I invite you to continue to engage with us virtually on this website and
through social media and to contact me if ever you want to see an exhibition in person.
I look forward to sharing the work of our talented students and visiting artists with
you.
Alena Sauzade
Gallery Director and University Collections Manager
