Three exhibits will open Wednesday, Aug. 12, at the University of Lynchburg’s Daura Museum of Art.
“Forced to Flee,” a Studio Art Quilt Associates global exhibition, uses textile art to tell the stories of people who had to abandon their homes for various reasons, including war, natural disasters, oppression, and human rights violations.
“The refugee crisis has imposed severe impacts on the social, economic, and political structures of host countries, especially poor and developing countries,” an exhibit description reads. “This powerful and timely exhibition illustrates the global challenges arising from the current refugee crisis impacting countries across the globe.”
“Forced to Flee” will run through Oct. 9.
Images by photojournalist Peter Turnley also will be on display through Oct. 9. The exhibit’s photos were donated to the Daura Museum by a private collector in 2019.
Over the past 30 years, Turnley’s work has taken him to more than 90 countries. He has photographed conflicts in the Persian Gulf, the Balkans, Somalia, Rwanda, South Africa, Chechnya, Haiti, Israel, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Iraq.
He witnessed numerous iconic cultural events, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of South African apartheid, the aftermaths of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, and others. As a description of the exhibit puts it, “His photographs draw attention to the plight of those who suffer great hardships or injustice.”
Turnley’s photo essays have appeared in Newsweek, Harper’s, LIFE, National Geographic, Le Monde, The New Yorker, and other prestigious publications. His photos have been featured on CNN, ABC, and other major TV networks.
The third exhibit opening on Aug. 12 is “Catalan Artist Pierre Daura as Exile, Refugee, Naturalized American Citizen,” curated by Teresa Gunter ’20.
It’s based on Gunter’s Westover Honors thesis of the same title and features artwork by Pierre Daura. Daura and his wife, artist Louise Blair Daura, are the namesakes of the Daura Museum of Art.
The exhibit runs through Nov. 20.
“By examining U.S. immigration policies and Pierre Daura’s identity as a refugee, immigrant, and naturalized American citizen,” the description reads, “this exhibition asserts that a crisis of nationality influenced Daura’s art.
“A period of change in his artistic output originated in his experiences as a Forward Artillery Observer for the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War and continued to foment most notably during a time of grave uncertainty surrounding his status as a stateless person and throughout his journey to American citizenship.”
The Daura Museum of Art is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, masks or face coverings must be worn in the museum at all times.
For academic tours and programs, contact Laura Cole, coordinator of academic and public engagement, at cole.l@lynchburg.edu. For more information, contact the Daura Museum of Art at 434.544.8595 or DauraGallery@lynchburg.edu.