Town-gown collaboration features art exhibit by Charlie Brouwer
“Now I Lay Me…,” a two-part exhibit by Radford University Professor Emeritus Charlie Brouwer, will be on display in Squires Student Center’s second floor atrium and at Mish Mish Gallery in downtown Blacksburg through Tuesday, May 28.
The exhibit is part of the Perspective Gallery’s “Pop-Up” series, which brings art outside of the gallery. Works at the two locations include both sculpture and drawings by Brouwer. This town-gown exhibit is free and open to the public.
The Division of Student Affairs' Perspective Gallery is located on the second floor in Squires Student Center. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. The gallery is closed on Mondays. The Mish Mish Gallery is at 125 North Main Street in downtown Blacksburg and is open Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Brouwer’s well-known ladders will be part of the Squires exhibit installation. Brouwer states, “In the last five years I have done seven public art projects that involved building structures out of hundreds of ladders loaned to me by the members of communities. Our goal was to represent the way a sense of community occurs when there is a mutual agreement to support each other’s hopes and dreams.”
The series of 30 drawings on display at Mish Mish are infused with the author’s memories and experiences. Brouwer said, “Like all of my work, the drawings are extensions of my life -- explorations of my past, present, and future. I make art to discover where I have been, what I think, and where I am going. I try to pay attention to my life and surroundings in hopes of catching a glimpse of meaning.”
With a visitor’s pass, parking is available for Squires Student Center from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Squires Lot, located at the corner of College Avenue and Otey Street or the Architecture Annex Lot also on Otey Street. Parking meters within the Squires Lot will need to be paid. A visitor’s pass may be obtained Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Visitor Information Center, located at 965 Prices Fork Road, near the intersection of Prices Fork and University City Boulevard next to the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center. A visitor’s pass may also be obtained from the Virginia Tech Police Station, located on Sterrett Drive, outside of the Visitor Information Center hours.
After 5 p.m., free parking is available in the Squires lot, located at the corner of College Avenue and Otey Street or the Architecture Annex Lot also on Otey Street. Find more parking information online or call 540 231-3200.
