LUAG opens community-curated exhibit “What Matters Most”

The Lehigh University Art Galleries (LUAG) opened a new exhibit titled “What Matters Most,” which calls on the community to consider what they value.

The community-curated exhibit debuted on Aug. 24 and features art pieces chosen by more than 100 members of the Lehigh and Bethlehem communities. 

According to LUAG’s website, participants took part in a two-step interview process, in which they selected a piece from Lehigh’s collection of over 18,000 works of art that reflect their highest values. 

The project was spearheaded by William Crow, director of LUAG and professor of practice in the department of Art, Architecture and Design. He said he wanted to platform the ideas at the forefront of people’s minds as they emerged from the pandemic.  

Crow said he thinks witnessing the fragility of the world that came from the pandemic made people re-consider their priorities and shifted how people interact with others.

Lehigh art students and interns from the art galleries conducted interviews with the selected faculty, staff and community members – their central question being: what matters most? 

“Quite a number of people talked about the importance of connection with one another,” Crow said. “Many also touched upon issues like equity, diversity, inclusion, systemic injustice, climate change, and health and wellbeing.” 

Interviewees were then asked to select a piece from about five works of art that were presented to them based on their initial responses. Crow said the follow-up interview focused on the art itself and why the participant chose it.

Crow said participants were asked to consider several aspects of the works of art during the selection process. The content of the work was a key component. Formal qualities like color, style, brushstroke, texture and material were also assessed by the gallery. 

“I had probably one of the most in-depth conversations I’ve ever had with practically a stranger,” Hallie Wilson, ‘23, said. As a museum studies minor and former LUAG intern, Wilson was an active participant in the interview process. 

Wilson said she hopes student exhibit attendees experience new perspectives and learn more about the staff and community at Lehigh, as she did through her involvement. 

The exhibit can be found across Lehigh’s campus in five LUAG network galleries, including Rauch Business Center, Maginnes Hall, Fairchild-Martindale Library, Alumni Memorial Building and Siegel Gallery at Iacocca Hall. 

“It’s kind of hard to miss,” Crow said.

There are also 20 reproductions of the art along the South Bethlehem Greenway Trail, from South New Street to the Bethlehem Skateplaza. The exhibit is free to students and the public throughout the academic year.

Some of the Zoom interviews are also available on LUAG’s website. The videos can also be accessed by scanning the QR codes on the signs along the Bethlehem Greenway.

“We want to dispel the myth that the collection belongs to some kind of rarified elite or that it only belongs to the university community when, in fact, it really belongs to everyone,” said Mark Wonsidler, curator of exhibitions and collections.

LUAG’s mission is to make art accessible to everyone, Wonsidler said. 

Crow said the art galleries are committed to providing the content and tools to help the community learn about and through art.

“As an art museum, we are really invested in the meaning-making process,” Crow said. “Ultimately, our goal is to help people not only make meaning from works of art, but hopefully to make meaning about the world around them and about themselves.

LUAG will be hosting an opening reception for the exhibit on the Greenway on Oct. 7, where attendees may hear from contributors and enjoy refreshments and giveaways. 

“Works of art really provide a kind of catalyst for conversation,” Wonsidler said. “It’s the shared cultural heritage of humanity. That’s what art is.”