Campus Events

For my two campus events, I attended the opening of the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Turchin Center and the Tunnel of Oppression. Both of these events can be described as interdisciplinary as well as related to my specific area of study.

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts started The Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy program to broaden the publics’ access to Warhol’s work. They managed to do this by donating 28,500 original Polaroid’s and silver gelatin prints to universities across the country. The Turchin Center was given 102 Polaroid’s and 50 black and white photographs to add to their permanent collection.

The Turchin center displayed Warhol’s photos from wall to wall as well as displaying a replica of one of Andy Warhol’s New York studios. This particular studio Andy and friends had covered the entire space in silver foil and metallic paint. So in one corner of the Turchin center, there was a mock up of this silver space. There was also two photo booths set up in the center of the exhibit so anyone and everyone could have their turn at being one of Andy’s photo subjects.

This exhibit and event can be described as interdisciplinary for many reasons. One, the artist himself was commenting on the art world, popular culture, and societal issues. Two, by the way this concept was both captured and displayed pulls from many different disciplines and viewpoints.

The second event I attended was the Tunnel of Oppression, which was held in the Blue Ridge Ballroom. This was my first experience with this event and it was an interesting one. You are guided through the different scenes depicting oppression as a small group. You witness reenactments of oppression in its many forms. I remember seeing and hearing a Native American tell about how little Native culture is left. I remember seeing racial scenes from movies, physical and mental abuse, the forced separation and brutal shower deaths from the holocaust, trans gendered discrimination in the workplace, wheelchair bound persons talking about inability to get around on campus, and many other scenarios. After the guided tour was over, our group was lead to a room to discuss what we had all just experienced.

This event could also be described as interdisciplinary on many levels. Again, for the concept coming from many forms of oppression and also how this idea was displayed to the viewer. It was a performance piece speaking on the issue of oppression, which is an interdisciplinary approach.