Pivot Points is a traveling exhibition organized by two faculty members in VCUArts Painting and Printmaking department. The exhibition brings together three generations of artists and poets examining the ties of mentorship between teacher and student. The second generation acts as the “pivot points” connecting the generations together. The exhibit brings together six painters: Victor Kord and Richard Lazzaro, who mentored Sally Bowring and Reni Gower; Valerie Bogdan and Beth Weisgerber, who were mentored by Bowring and Gower. All are painters working in abstraction whose vibrant works create a visual language exploring diverse personal expressions such as: life, language, landscape, beauty, nature, decorative arts, and religion. “Pivot Points” brings together six poets: Larry Levis and Dave Smith, who mentored Gregory Donovan and Elizabeth Seydel Morgan; and Joshua Poteat and Laura-Gray Street who were mentored by Donovan and Morgan. Each poet brings a unique voice to the exhibition yet all share a familial use of structure and visionary imagery.

Each work displayed is a unique and intimate expression of the artists and writers and also seen as a complete community; in which, multigenerational family patterns and similarities in languages appear. Pivot Points tells a familiar and unique story of the continual community of teachers and students and celebrates the connections between two creative disciplines, visual art and poetry. “Pivot Points eloquently underscores the notion that deep understanding can only be passed directly from individual to individual, as one lights a candle with another candle,” states Richard Roth, Chair of VCUArts Painting and Printmaking Department. Pivot Points features 29 works on paper and six panels of poetry selections. Additionally, a full color catalogue accompanies the exhibition and as well as audio readings by each of the poets.

For more information on this exhibition’s artists and poets, please click on the link to:
Blackbird @ http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v3n2/gallery/pivot/exhibit/map/e_map.htm

Pivot Points Funding - Please view our generous funding sources.

Victor Kord Venus III 2001 acrylic on paper	Richard Lazzaro Prodigy 1999 gouache on paper
Reni Gower Pivot II 2002 acrylic on paper	Sally Bowring Point Yellow 2002 acrylic on paper Courtesy of Reynolds Gallery, Richmond, Virginia
Beth Weisgerber Frequent Trips Without a Foothill 2003 ink, acrylic and watercolor on paper	Valerie Bogdan Bushwick Daze 2002 oil on paper