A.P.E.X. Events Presents Grace A. Tanner Visiting Artist, Vitus Shell

Published: March 07, 2023 | Author: Southern Utah University | Read Time: 2 minutes

A.P.E.X. Events speaker Vitus ShellSouthern Utah University's A.P.E.X. Events welcomes distinguished mixed-media collage painter and Grace A. Tanner Visiting Artist, Vitus Shell. Join A.P.E.X. on Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 11:30 a.m. in the Great Hall of the Hunter Alumni Center for Shell’s presentation entitled, “Bout It, Bout It: The Political Power of Just Being”. 

Shell is a painter specializing in mixed-media collages, and he was born and currently resides in Monroe, LA. He focuses his artistic efforts on capturing the black experience by utilizing impactful imagery that deconstructs, samples, and remixes identity, civil rights, and contemporary black culture. Shell earned a BFA from Memphis College of Art in 2000 and an MFA from the University of Mississippi in 2008.

Throughout his career, Shell has been fortunate to have residencies at several prestigious institutions including Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Anderson Ranch Art Center, Hermitage Artist Retreat, Mass MoCA, Joan Mitchell Center, Skowhegan School of Art, and Masur Museum of Art. His accomplishments are many, including exhibiting his work at various universities, museums, and private galleries across the United States such as The McKenna Museum of African American Art, Stephen F. Austin University, and Miami University in Oxford, OH. Additionally, he has created murals for the National Civil Rights Museum's NBA Pioneers exhibit, Indianola City Pool in Indianola, MS, Union Parish Elementary School in Farmerville, LA, and has even been commissioned by the Memphis UrbanArt Commission for public art.

Shell is the recipient of several grants, including the Joan Mitchell MFA Award. As of 2020, he holds the position of visiting assistant professor at Louisiana Tech University.

A.P.E.X. Events is SUU’s premier weekly lecture series, with speakers and presenters invited from all areas of the world. While on campus, guests are invited to interact with students and faculty in multiple ways, with opportunities to connect and network in vast areas of scholarship. All A.P.E.X. Events are free and open to the public. 


Tags: APEX College of Performing and Visual Arts

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