October 27 – November 20, 2026 @ Slocumb Galleries
East Tennessee State University Department of Art & Design and Slocumb Galleries present ’50 / Journeys: Tao Huang’from Oct. 27 to Nov. 20, at the Slocumb Galleries with closing reception and artist’s speak Nov. 19,from 5 to 7 p.m., with Guest of Honor Dr. Joe Bidwell, Dean of the Phil & Martha Bachman College of Arts & Sciences.
The exhibition features two series, visual evidences of Tao Huang’s journeys as an artist / designer, and scholar traversing the continents of Asia, North America and Europe.Originally from Guangzhou, China, then educated in Beijing and the US, Huang’s design and scholarship are visages and landscapes of her distinct view of the world, the liminality of being an Asian woman in Western academia, she eloquently describes her journeys as negotiating the“elusive boundariesbetween belonging and estrangement, connection and solitude, openness and self-preservation.”
One of the galleries foregrounds her global travels, featuring 13photographs taken from 2008 to 2026, the images are memories printed in ink. Juxtaposed with these “fragments of places,”is ‘Window,’ an installation of images printed on transparent sheets, of ordinary, everyday scenes viewed through the viewing outlets of the plane, hotel, museum and other places. Devoid of people, the artist attempts to provide viewers through these glimpses a collective experience, thatoffer “a fleeting sense of connection and belonging.”
Huang describes the second part of the exhibition, more graphic design in form and presentation as “tracing an inward journey.” It comprisesof nine posters and a typographic animation, all designed in response to books that have influenced the artist at different stages of her life. Drawing on quotations from these authors and visual elements from their works, Huang “revisits the ideas and experiences that have shaped herthinking, and contemplate on how these views were changed throughout these years.”A selection of additional reading accompanies the works, inviting viewers to explore these literary influences for themselves.
Huangserves as the Chair of the Department of Art and Design at ETSU. She has over 30 years of professional experience across multiple design fields in mainland China and the United States, including design research, product design, UX design, interior design, advertising, post production animation, brandingand packaging design.
Huangholds a BS in Industrial Design, an MFA in Industrial Design, and a PhD in Architecture and Design Research. Before joining ETSU, she held faculty and administrative positions at Guangdong University of Technology, Columbia College Chicago, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
The Slocumb Galleries are supported by ETSU Student Activities Allocation Committee, Bravissima! Women Sponsoring the Arts, Arts Fund from the East Tennessee Foundation and the Tennessee Arts Commission. Located at Ernest C. Ball Hall, 232 Sherrod Drive, ETSU campus. Viewing hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours during receptions and by appointment. For more information or to schedule a visit, emailcontrera@etsu.eduor send text message to 423-483-3179. Parking and handicapped access available.
Category: Exhibits