This exhibition honors the 30-year legacy of support by Alison and Patrick Deem to the School of Art & Design at West Virginia University for an annual lecture by an outstanding guest artist. Since 1995, the Deem Distinguished Lecture has brought artists and arts professionals of international reputation to campus including three MacArthur Foundation “genius” awardees. This exhibition highlights some of those artists work which highlights the quality and diversity of this lecture series.
Over decades, the Deems have been leaders in advancing education in the arts at WVU through additional initiatives including student scholarships and travel support, studio equipment, and an endowed professorship in art. Alison Deem has dedicated years of service to the College of Creative Arts and Media and the Art Museum of WVU and was inducted into the Order of Vandalia, the university’s highest honor for service to the institution. The diverse work by the Deem lecturers included in Thirty, makes visible the couple’s commitment to bringing innovative, advanced, and world-class artists to West Virginia University.
This exhibition is presented in conjunction with the School of Art and Design and coincides with the 2025 Deem Lecture to be given by American artist Devan Shimoyama.
IMAGE: Carmon Colangelo
Disruption (detail), 2023,
Mixed media: archival pigment, acrylic paint on stretch over canvas with cuts and collage,
48 x 36 inches,
On loan from the artist and David Bruno Gallery, Saint Louis, Missouri