Richard J. Bay to tackle faith at Perspective Gallery, June 6-July 21

27 May 2008

Richard J. Bay, art education professor at Radford University, will exhibit "Mom said, 'HAVE FAITH!'" at Virginia Tech's Perspective Gallery, June 6 through July 23.

The Perspective Gallery is on the second floor of Squires Student Center on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The Perspective Gallery is open Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Bay delights in art’s ability to provoke viewers to reevaluate their worldviews, to question assumptions and long-held personal beliefs. In “Mom said, ‘HAVE FAITH!,’” Bay tackles the incendiary topic of faith and deconstructs the word’s religious connotations. With each of his pieces, Bay challenges viewers’ inclination to categorize dismissively or judge quickly.

Perspective Gallery curator Mary Tartaro said, “From the first time I saw Richard Bay's work, I was impressed by his fresh, raw, innocent approach. The work has an immediacy which is as inspiring as the artist’s contagious enthusiasm for its making. His rich surfaces draw the viewer in and then take them deeper into autobiographical territory.”