Visual Arts

Visual Arts Department

Somethin' Else

Somethin' Else exhibit poster

January 8 - March 29, 2024

Curated by Professor Fernando Orellana
Crowell and West Galleries, Feigenbaum Center for Visual Arts

Opening Reception: Thursday, January 11th 5:00 -7:00pm

The Visual Arts Department is pleased to present work from artists William Fillmore, David Henry Nobody Jr. and Steve Seeley.

Take a virtual tour of the exhibit.

Artist Talk by David Henry Nobody Jr.: Friday, January 12th 12:50-1:50pm, Feigenbaum Center for Visual Arts room 204.

Artist Talk by William Fillmore: Thursday, January 25th 12:40-1:55pm, Feigenbaum Center for Visual Arts room 204.

Tomorrow we will be tomorrow. Today, run full gallup into your clown avatar. Laugh into the horrific, yell inside the divine, overindulge in awkwardness. Tune into the electric tower bells. Dance with them as they broadcast uncertainty. For darkness will land, as always, forever and ever. What was once visible, the dominant display dissolves. Yet the jesters will illuminate the way, carving a path through benightedness once more. Absurdity is the antidote for the scorpion that stings itself.

David Henry Nobody

David Henry Nobody Jr., Crying Onion Man

Smile for Fun Time by William Fillmore

William Fillmore, Smile for Fun Time

Breakfast by Steve Seeley

Steve Seeley, Breakfast by Campfire

Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, graphic novelist, philanthropist, and creator of La Borinqueña, an independently published graphic novel series.

Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez poster

Artist Talk and Book Signing: Tuesday, February 6, 2024, 6:00pm, Nott Memorial

The Visual Arts Department is proud to present La Borinqueña: An Icon of Hope, Social Justice, and Philanthropy. Edgardo will talk about how growing up with a love of comic books gave light to his passion for social justice. He will discuss briefly the history of Puerto Rico and how the current climate crisis there affects us all globally. Through his presentation you’ll come to understand why he created La Borinqueña to help bring these issues to light and also create an icon for an underrepresented community that embodies cultural pride, power, and resilience like its people.

Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez is a graphic novelist most notably recognized as the writer and creator of the critically acclaimed and bestselling superhero series La Borinqueña that is part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Museums. He is a featured storyteller in HBO's documentary Habla Now, the latest installment of the award-winning "Habla" series. In addition, he is the recipient of the San Diego Comic-Con 2019 Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award for his philanthropic efforts via the benefit anthology Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico featuring La Borinqueña teaming up with Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman and other DC Comics heroes which he self-published under his own studio Somos Arte. Sales of Ricanstruction have collected close to a quarter of a million dollars and lead to the development of the La Borinqueña Grants Program supporting local grassroots organizations in Puerto Rico.

As the Creative Director and owner of Somos Arte, a Brooklyn-based creative services studio he has worked with such notable clients as Atlantic Records, Columbia University, Sony Pictures and Marvel. Edgardo is a curator of art exhibitions having already produced three original Marvel comic book art exhibitions and his latest "La Borinqueña in San Juan" in Puerto Rico's Fundación Cortés. He is also an Arts Envoy for the U.S. Department of State. Follow Edgardo for more updates on his latest projects and philanthropic efforts on social media via Twitter @MrEdgardoNYC and the latest news on La Borinqueña via Instagram/Facebook @LaBorinquenaComics.

Our Department

The Department of Visual Arts is committed to the centrality of art in the liberal arts at Union College. We do so from a position unique among other departments on campus. Already by nature interdisciplinary, the department has in recent years increasingly become a dynamic intersection of scholarly undertakings and teaching initiatives across the campus. Our vision is to strengthen the multiple connections between ourselves and other academic departments and to reach beyond the campus to develop relationships with other arts institutions. Our vision is to continue to bridge the past, present, and future for our students through painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, digital art, and art history. Our vision, in short, is to enrich the Union College community through art.

Take a virtual tour of the Feigenbaum Center for Visual Arts.

Steamroller Day in Printmaking

Professor Conley's Post Digital Printmaking class printed their oversized woodcuts with a steamroller!