Odessa, TX – October 28, 2024 – Odessa College announces the opening of “Elusive Identities,” a visiting artists’ exhibit showcasing the evocative work of artists Stephen Marc and Granville Carroll. This captivating exhibit will be available for public viewing October 28 through December 10 in the Phillips Goff Gallery in Sedate Hall.
As part of the exhibit, both Marc and Carroll will offer insights into their creative processes and the themes behind their work during an exclusive Artist Talk at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29 held at the Globe Theatre. Following the talk, attendees are invited to a reception in the Gallery, where they can meet the artists and further explore the collection.
“Elusive Identities” delves into complex themes surrounding identity, culture, and the human experience. Through innovative multimedia approaches and powerful visual storytelling, Marc and Carroll invite viewers to reflect on the layered nature of identity in contemporary society.
This exhibit is free and open to the public. Odessa College invites students, faculty, and the wider community to engage with these thought-provoking pieces and participate in the broader dialogue about identity and self-expression.
Event Details:
- Exhibit Opening: Monday, October 28, Phillips Goff Gallery, Odessa College
- Artist Talk: Tuesday, October 29, 4 p.m., Globe Theatre
- Reception: Immediately following the Artist Talk, Phillips Goff Gallery
- Exhibit Closure: Tuesday, December 10
About the Artists:
Granville Carroll
Granville Carroll, a contemporary visual artist and Afrofuturist residing in the Phoenix, Arizona metro area, delves into the realms of photography and poetry to explore the intricate facets of representation and identity. Through his creative pursuits, Carroll seeks to unravel the multifaceted dimensions of blackness, encompassing spatial blackness, temporal blackness, and spiritual blackness. At the heart of his artistic journey lies an exploration of metaphysics, particularly examining the ontology of self and the cosmos. Carroll's practice shines a spotlight on the boundless imaginative capacities of the human mind. He masterfully weaves narratives and constructs alternate speculative futures and states of existence.
Stephen Marc
Stephen Marc is an Emeritus Professor of Art in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. Raised between the Southside of Chicago and Champaign, IL, he began teaching at ASU in 1998, following 20 years at Columbia College Chicago. Marc was the Spring 2022, Stuart B. Cooper Endowed Chair in Photography at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow. He received his MFA from Tyler School of Art at Temple University and his BA from Pomona College. Raised on the Southside of Chicago, Marc is a documentary/street photographer and digital montage artist, whose work explores American identity and sense of place.
Marc’s American/True Colors (2020) received an Independent Publisher’s IPPY 2021 Gold Medal for best book in Photography and was a Finalist for both best art book and best multicultural book of the year from the 2021 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. His earlier three books include: Urban Notions (1983), that addressed three communities in Illinois where he had strong family ties; The Black Trans-Atlantic Experience: Street Life and Culture in Ghana, Jamaica, England, and the United States (1992); and Passage on the Underground Railroad (2009). Since 2008, Passage on the Underground Railroad has been registered as an Interpretative Program of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, a division of the National Park Service.