Dante in Comm Arts
An Exhibition of Works from Michelle Gagliano’s Figure in Illustration Class
January 16–26, 2024
Reception: 5–7pm Friday, January 19th
VCUarts and The Anderson are pleased to present Dante in Comm Arts, an exhibition of works from adjunct professor Michelle Gagliano’s class of the same name offered by the Communication Arts department. This exhibition encompasses the creative voices that emerged from this upper level Figure in Illustration class. It is on view on the top floor of The Anderson.
Exhibition Statement
Students learned to become creative illustrators by questioning, recording, transposing and translating through their personal lens their own vision of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. Written in 1321, Dante’s Inferno still echoes contemporary issues of war, political strife, and the classification of sins.
The artwork from this endeavor invites viewers to return to the poetry of the Inferno. The creative exercise of the “Dante in Comm Arts” class gave the students much of what they needed to create their own personal connection to the cantos. The students developed an understanding of what came before, as artists from Boticelli to Raushenburg have been interpreting this classic piece of literature for the past 500 years.
The power of illustration came into being as the students rendered their own personal meanings with the text and can now stand back to appreciate the new dialogue they produced with their creations.
This exhibition celebrates the students’ dialogue with Dante and their interpretation of the Cantos in the Inferno.
Participating Artists
Vlad Mitchell, Marina Noseck, Anderson Bowles, Geovanny Mejia, Hannah Kehoe, Isaac Harmon, Billy Davis, Dmitri Ruzany Modell, Fro Williams, Fin Soto, Quinn Wakefield
Poster by Fin Soto.