On 24, January 2020,The Fralin Museum of Art, in collaboration with the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, opened an exhibition of Aboriginal memorial poles titled The Inside World. This exhibition curated by Henry Skerritt, Curator of Indigenous Art of Australia Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, and organized by theNevada Museum of Art, presents over 100 sculptural works by contemporary Aboriginal artists from Arnhem Land. Traditionally, these poles—named lorrkkon in the west andlarrakitj in the east —marked the final point in Aboriginal mortuary rites. They signified the moment when the spirit of the deceased had finally returned home—when they had left all vestiges of the mundane “outside” world, and become one with the “inside” world of the ancestral realm. Today, these poles are made as works of fine art. They have been shown in major exhibitions in Australia and internationally including the Sydney Biennale, the National Gallery of Australia and the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia.

The Inside World is drawn from the collection of Miami-based collectors and philanthropists Debra and Dennis Scholl and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection. In addition to the exhibition at The Fralin, a complementary exhibition of Kunwinjku paintings on paper from the Kluge-Ruhe Collection will be mounted in the Rotunda extending the experience of Aboriginal art across Grounds and providing another locus for discussion. The Inside World marks a significant collaboration between The Fralin and The Kluge-Ruhe allowing an important exhibition to come to Grounds that would otherwise be impossible given the Kluge-Ruhe’s limited space. The Fralin will also mount a small complementary focus exhibition drawn from its extensive collections that considers representations of mourning and memorial in other cultures. As such, this collaboration is a taste of the dynamic, cross-cultural programming that will be made possible with a new University Museums, in which The Fralin and Kluge-Ruhe are co-located.

The community impact of this exhibition has been profound. We are delighted to host this exhibition of works by diverse artists and to provide a viewing opportunity for these large-scale works. This exhibition enabled an ‘Aboriginal Art Takeover’ of Charlottesville, with multiple venues around the city hosting Aboriginal art. It also was the cover story for C’ville Weekly and we anticipate being part of a New York Timesarticle in March.More than 150 community members attended The Fralin’s Saturday Tour on January 25th with curator Henry Skerritt.

This exhibition has been enormously successful, in demonstrating our ability to collaborate with the Kluge-Ruhe and to show the diversity of art that The Fralin exhibits. As we envision the two museums working in a joint space, this collaboration also allows the public to witness the combined strengths of both museums.

The Inside World has been incredibly successful, with 470 students attending the January 24th Final Friday at the museum. In addition, we will host the following classes in the exhibition through April of 2020. *Some of these visits may have been altered given the University changes to course instruction surrounding COVID-19. Click here for more information on University changes.*

In addition, we will host the following classes in the exhibition through April of 2020.

• Clinician’s Eye – 9 – Medical School
• Origin Stories: Identity, Migration, and Homeland – 32 – Engagement/Media Studies
• Museum Interpretation: Skyscraper – 20 – Art History/Architecture
• Clinician’s Eye – 8 – Medical School
• Drawing for Design – 14 – Architecture School
• Religions of Oceania – 18 – Religious Studies
• Curating Culture – 17 – Anthropology
• Sociology of Art – 6 – Sociology
• Encountering the World Through Collected Objects – 56 – Engagement Anthropology & Archaeology Majors Anthropology
• Drawing I – 18 – Studio Art
• Skills of Scholarship – 65 – Liberal Arts Seminar
• Australia – 16 – History
• Art and the Body – 39 – Art History
• Global Development Case Studies – 23 – Global Development Studies
• Fiction Writing – 30 – Creative Writing
• Sex, Spirits, and Sorcery: The Art of Arnhem Land – 55 – Art History and Anthropology

The community impact of this exhibition has been profound. We are delighted to host this exhibition of works by diverse artists and to provide a viewing opportunity for these large-scale works. This exhibition enabled an ‘Aboriginal Art Takeover’ of Charlottesville, with multiple venues around the city hosting Aboriginal art.

It also was the cover story for C’ville Weekly and we anticipate being part of a New York Times article in March.

More than 150 community members attended The Fralin’s Saturday Tour on January 25th with curator Henry Skerritt and on April 9th, we will host a private tour with Henry Skerritt, for 75 attendees of the UVA Club of Charlottesville.

This exhibition has been enormously successful, in demonstrating our ability to collaborate with the Kluge-Ruhe and to show the diversity of art that The Fralin exhibits. As we envision the two museums working in a joint space, this collaboration also allows the public to witness the combined strengths of both museums.

The Arts Council provides advocacy, advice, and support in the Arts at the University of Virginia. It strives to develop and strengthen the bonds of interest and participation among the Arts Departments, their associated programs, and their alumni and friends; to advocate on their behalf; to advise and assist with communications; and to help raise funds in support of academic programs, facilities, and special events. Among its multitude of arts advocacy efforts, the Council awards annual Arts Council Grants. These grants have, and continue to play an instrumental role in a number of residencies, workshops, project and research-based endeavors proposed across Arts Grounds annually. This series of articles will highlight each funded project and serve to inform the UVA community of their unique timelines, progress and outcome reports.