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Empathy

Submitted on November 4, 2019 - 11:27am

Exhibition

November 1, 2019 – June 13, 2020
Meany Center for the Performing Arts

There are over 7,500,000,000 people on this Earth, who speak over 6,500 languages, who live in 195 different countries or non-member states. Each one of these 7,500,000,000 people carries with them their own identity, and their own lived experiences. We cannot pretend that we fully understand each other, but we can empathize with each other. In a world of so much difference, can empathy be used to establish and support one another?

This exhibition presents pieces by the students at the University of Washington School of Art + Art History + Design, as they use their diverse skill sets and backgrounds to explore the various meanings and implications of empathy. Exploring themes of identity, family relationships, and state violence, the pieces work together to bring the viewers into experiences that might not cross one’s mind on an average day.

There is no single perspective to this exhibition, no single topic or medium. Instead, a collection of videos, paintings, photos, and more, all function to evoke different emotions that can tap into the diversity of lived experiences in these halls and on campus.

Without empathy, we would not be human. Only through the experience of empathy can we begin to be human, only then can we begin to work towards justice.

This exhibition was curated by Elizabeth Calvillo (International Studies and Photo/Media Honors, 2020), Curatorial Assistant, Jacob Lawrence Gallery, and Raziah Ahmad (Visual Communication Design, 2020), Graphic Designer, Jacob Lawrence Gallery.

The exhibition is only accessible when attending an event in Meany Center. View the Meany Center schedule. Some School of Music performances also take place there.