FALL 2022

Nicole Macdonald

August 22 - September 14, 2022
Public Lecture:  September 8^th, 3 p.m.      Reception: September 8^th 4 - 6 p.m.

MFSM Saints & Sinners Gala and Invitational Exhibition

September 21 - October 7, 2022     
Ticketed Gala: October 7^th 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Occulted: Prints and Animations by Heather D. Freeman

October 17 - November 12, 2022
Public Lecture: October 27^th, 3 p.m.   Reception: October 27^th 4 - 6 p.m.

BFA Exhibition

November 21-December 16, 2022
Reception: December 1^st, 4-6 p.m.

WINTER 2023

18th Annual Art Student Exhibition

January 9 – February 3, 2023
Reception: January 19^th, 4 - 6 p.m.

Meghan Kirkwood: Production Landscape

February 13 – March 14, 2023
Lecture: February 23^rd, 3 p.m.   Reception: February 23^rd, 4 – 6 p.m.

Kate Levy: The Fate of the Machinery

March 21 - April 7, 2023
Public Lecture: March 30^th, 3 p.m.    Reception: March 30^th, 4 – 6 p.m.

Winter BFA Exhibition/Art 480

April 17 – May 5, 2023
Reception: April 20^th, 4 - 6 p.m.

SPRING AND SUMMER 2023

Japanese Woodblock Prints: Edo and Meiji Periods
May 15 – August 4, 2023

This exhibit on display in the University Art Gallery at Saginaw Valley State University is a collection of Japanese woodblock prints of the Edo and Meiji periods donated by Dr. Louis W. Doll, to the University Art Gallery. 

The woodblock print became a major medium of artistic expression in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1867). This was an age of unprecedented peace which saw the growth of a prosperous class of merchants and craftsmen.  Unable to acquire significant political or social prestige within the rigid feudal system, this new merchant class devoted itself to the enjoyment of the present.  It helped create an urban society which thrived on entertainment and extravagance.  Woodblock prints produced in large editions supplied this new middle class with images that would record the pleasures and beauty of life in the Tokugawa capital city of Edo.

The Meiji era (1868-1912), a period of rapid modernization in Japan, saw a great change in both subjects and style of woodblock prints.  Artists incorporated Western techniques of chiaroscuro and linear perspective.  Japanese in Western dress, military and political events as well as scenes containing carriages and railroads became common imagery.  With the introduction of aniline dyes intensely bright red, green and purple replaced the more subtle natural pigments.  Although the Meiji period has been considered a time of decline for woodblock prints, many interesting editions were produced combining elements of both Japanese and Western art. 

All gallery exhibitions, lectures and receptions are free and open to the public. Click the following link for open gallery hours or call (989) 964-2291. The University Art Gallery is located in the Arbury Fine Arts Center on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University, svsu.edu/go/visit/maps/.