The Mandeville Gallery is hosting a virtual student docent talk Thursday, Oct. 15, 1-2 p.m.
Adenike Hickson '22 with a painting by Firelei Báez
The gallery’s current docents – Maymunah Ahmed ’23, Ryan Hayes ’23, Adenike Hickson ’22, Mallory Nelson ’22 and Samuel Perry ’23 – will discuss the artwork presented in the Mandeville exhibition featuring painter Jane Swavely and the Art Installation Series at Schaffer Library, which features the work of Juan Hinojosa.
The event is free and open to the public.
Introduced in 2013, Union’s Student Docent Program offers a unique work experience in a collegiate art gallery.
Each docent serves as a liaison with visitors. They interpret the artworks in relation to their own interests, research and personal experiences, and also provide information and insight as part of an effort to create lasting audiences for the visual arts on campus and beyond.
“I have always been fascinated by art and its many layers. Being a student docent these past few years has allowed me to discover and really explore the wonders of the art world,” says Adenike Hickson ’22, a Chinese major from New York City. “It is exciting that the Mandeville Gallery is able to continue to build individuals’ interest in the visual arts virtually this term.”
Last year, Hickson discussed “given the ground (the fact that it amazes me does not mean I relinquish it)” by Firelei Báez, a painting on loan from Kelly Williams ’86.
Ryan Hayes ’23, an economics major from Ballston Spa, N.Y., is in his second year as a docent. Last year, he shared his thoughts on Amir H. Fallah’s acrylic and collage work, “The Sun, The Moon, and The Truth.”
“I am delighted to spend another year getting to know the Union College Permanent Collection and offer my observations of the exhibitions currently on display,” Hayes says. “My goal for this year is to contribute to a virtual experience that encapsulates as much of the experience of being physically present in the gallery as possible.”
The student docents represent a cross-section of life at Union, with a range of activities, skills and majors, including biology, classics and studio fine arts. Read more about them here.
Mandeville Gallery virtual events are recorded and available on the Mandeville Gallery website.
