Message From The Director
August 24, 2021
As we begin the 2021-2022 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 José State University.
Despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, 2020-2021 was a busy and productive year. While the Thompson Gallery was closed for the duration of the 2020-2021 academic year, we continued to host our popular Tuesday Night Lectures, participated in PLATFORM, the groundbreaking CSU wide art gallery and museum collaborative speaker series, and opened Wafaa Bilal: Canto III, a virtual exhibition of the work of Iraqi born artist in the New Art City platform. Our BFA and MFA students completed on-site and online solo exhibitions, and students and faculty worked together to create group shows and class exhibitions.
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. On September 7, we will open Where We Are: Selections from the San Jose State University Art Collection. Inspired by the relationship between the University and the Bay Area art scene, the exhibition includes work by faculty, students, visiting artists and notable regional artists representing the major art historical movements and genres of modern art. It will be accompanied by a virtual exhibition. Please join me for a virtual opening reception and exhibition walk-through from 5-6pm on Tuesday, September 7th, or stop by the gallery for an in-person viewing from 6-7pm the same evening.
Our Tuesday Night Lecture series will continue to be held entirely online. 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.
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 to see our exhibitions 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
