About Us:

The Claypool-Young Art Gallery, located within the Claypool-Young Art Building, is a pivotal educational and cultural component of the Department of Art & Design, CCAHSS, MSU campus, and the community at large. Through national calls for entries for both group and thematic exhibitions, the gallery showcases the work of primarily American contemporary artists in exhibitions curated by the gallery director with the advisement of faculty, or through an independent juror. The gallery also hosts faculty and student exhibitions, including annual sophomore and senior exhibitions that allow art majors the rare opportunity to exhibit their work in a professional venue. The recently renovated three-level gallery features approximately 2500 square feet of quality exhibition space with a screening room to display new media.

In addition to exhibitions which rotate approximately once a month, the gallery hosts programming such as opening receptions with live music and refreshments, reading and book signings, interdisciplinary events with inter-college and community partnerships, student performance events, and learning opportunities both curriculum and co-curriculum like class discussion and research, forums and workshops. Visiting artists and scholars of note include Nick Cave, Lynda Barry, Faith Ringgold, Judy Baca, Eleanor Heartney, Steve Prescott and Chip Kidd.

Participatory projects are a vital component of gallery programming, and include live performances as well as interactive artworks, installations and mural projects. The annual Halloween Costume Contest and Rocky Horror Picture Show Film Screening in October draws in a cross-campus and community audience. The annual Faculty Forum, in which artists participating in the faculty exhibition briefly discuss their work, enables dialogue between audience and the artist. The gallery collaborates often with the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance to host cross-disciplinary programming, and works with other organizations on campus to provide innovative and engaging events for the MSU and regional community.