The Visual Arts Center (VAC) is a new exhibition and research space within the Department of Art and Art History at The University of Texas at Austin. The VAC will highlight internationally acclaimed artists, as well as students, faculty, and alumni through multiple programs. An adaptive reuse of the space in the Art Building previously inhabited by the Jack S. Blanton Museum, the VAC was designed by renowned architects Lake | Flato and provides an additional 22,000 square feet of space to the department.

The redesign includes five exhibition galleries, new graduate student studios, an administrative office suite, and a central courtyard. The project was completed in January 2010. The Visual Arts Center will open to the public for its inaugural exhibitions and events September 24-26, 2010.

The following exhibits and events are presented in partnership with Texas Performing Arts:

Sound + Vision
Sound + Vision aims to promote experiments in sound, video and performance. Each program is designed to complement and enrich the contemporary art experience fostered by the Visual Arts Center. Collaborating with students, faculty, and alumni of the College of Fine Arts, as well as outside organizations, Sound + Vision will provide a forum in which artists are able to present performances that otherwise might not be realized. By offering a unique encounter with the art on exhibit, Sound + Vision will present an enriching experience for visitors, in addition to opening up new avenues for creativity.

Fade In
fade in | f?d in |: a gradual increase in the visibility of a scene.

The Visual Arts Center presents Fade In, a program of specially curated video work remarkably projected from the windows of the Art building. As dusk approaches, the VAC retains its pulse as work is screened outwardly onto the landscape of the University. Cycling out every six weeks, Fade In strives to provide complementary visuals to the exhibitions within, employing our students and guest artists in residence to create a unique visual experience. Acting as a silent beacon, Fade In hopes to capture the curiosity of passersby and invite them to continue their contemporary art investigation during daytime hours.

Feedback
The Visual Arts Center provides a whole host of opportunities to interact with its dynamic visual programming. Feedback presents unique exchanges between distinguished guest lecturers and the art on exhibit. This lecture series will introduce conversations with experts in all walks of life as they discuss contemporary art in a fresh way. Pulling from the rich supply of scholars within the University of Texas system, the VAC aims to introduce unconventional perspectives to alter the ordinary art viewing experience. From gemology to butoh theatre, string theory to Asian horror film, the VAC creates a reactive space where ideas will intersect, generating imaginative conclusions.

Centerpiece Theatre
Center Space Project presents a series of films curated to complement the exhibitions on display in the Center Space. On the second Wednesday of each month, Center Space Project welcomes the public into the gallery space for a film screening to parallel the themes and aesthetics of each exhibition, offering an occasion for viewing films both rare and iconic to enrich the viewer’s experience of our student-curated programs.

Visit the Visual Arts Center online.