With generous support from the Efroymson Family Fund, a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, the University of Evansville is pleased to welcome Thomas Dang Vu, a Vietnamese-American artist and New York City resident, as the first speaker in the new Emerging Contemporary Artists Lecture Series.
Dang Vu will present a free, public lecture on his career and work at 7 p.m. Thursday, November 15 in the Melvin Peterson Gallery (corner of Lincoln and Weinbach avenues).
“We are very excited to bring Thomas Dang Vu to campus,†said Stephanie Frasier, associate professor of art and chair of the Department of Art. “Everyone from UE and area high school students to community members will appreciate his deeply introspective artwork, learn from his expertise, and discover what it is like to live as an artist in New York City.â€
Born in Saigon in 1970, Dang Vu was five years old when Communists ransacked his family’s home and took his father, an architect and engineer, to prison, then split the Dang Vus’ home into residences for other families. At 16, Dang Vu moved to the United States with his family after they obtained green cards. He attended public high school in Atlanta, earned a scholarship to Savannah College of Art and Design, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting. Today, he is a photographer, designer, art director, and merchandiser, serving as executive designer for coordinates for Dillard’s clothing labels Alfred Dunner and Samantha Grey.
In April, the Department of Art received $10,000 from the Efroymson Family Fund to create the Emerging Contemporary Artists Lecture Series, which will bring a contemporary artist to Evansville each semester for one academic year (beginning this fall) and provide enhancements to the Melvin Peterson Gallery, such as a projector, screen, and laptop.
The Emerging Contemporary Artists Lecture Series will provide free lectures to UE students and the community, as well as workshops and studio demonstrations for specific classes and arts organizations.
“With the support of the Efroymson Family Fund, we’re thrilled to establish this series, which will support emerging artists around the nation while benefiting UE and the entire Evansville community,†Frasier said. “We hope the series will bring new patrons to the Melvin Peterson Gallery, increase UE’s stature in the art community beyond our region, and help attract talented art students to UE.â€
The University of Evansville wishes to thank the Efroymson Family Fund, a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, for its support of the arts at UE. Since the fund was established in 1998, it has awarded more than $70 million to nonprofit organizations in central Indiana and beyond. For more information on the Efroymson Family Fund, please visit www.cicf.org/efroymson-family-fund.
For more information on Dang Vu’s lecture and the Emerging Contemporary Artists Lecture Series, please call the Department of Art at 812-488-2043.
