Artist Residency at the bell hooks center

at Berea College

About

Each year, the bell hooks center at Berea College hosts a notable feminist artist for a weeklong residency. Invited artists deliver a campus-wide talk; facilitate a workshop; spend time in the bell hooks’ archives; and visit Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies classes.Building on the existing structure of the program, the bell hooks center—in partnership with the Doris Ulmann Galleries and Special Collections & Archives—expand edits reach by incorporating Felix Gonzalez-Torres’“Untitled” (L.A.)and adding an event at Special Collections & Archives to engage participants with bell hooks’ personal papers, connecting her writings on visual art to discussions of Gonzalez-Torres’ work. Visiting artists also engaged with students in Art, Art History, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies courses during their time on campus.

Intended Outcome

Berea College hoped that more departments and campus centers would engage the Doris Ulmann Galleries as a potential collaborator in developing creative programming for students and the broader community. The gallery’s goal was to bring 100 new visitors to the galleries through these partnerships.

Actual Outcome

Collaborations with the bell hooks center led to new relationships with staff and faculty across campus, which have in turn resulted in new interdisciplinary and cross-curricular projects over the last academic year and in the year ahead. This relationship resulted in 61 new visitors.

Advice Post Project

Even familiar events like artist talks and workshops gain new relevance when co-created with campus partners—fostering deeper engagement, aligning shared missions, and positioning the museum as an essential part of campus life.