The Art Department in Old Dominion University's College of Arts and Letters will host "A Conversation with Ted Ellis" at 2 p.m. March 3.
The event will be conducted via Zoom. You can join the conversation by clicking this link.
Ellis, who began serving as a Scholar-in-Residence in the College of Arts and Letters in January, will focus on his work and provide advice for young artists during the discussion.
Ellis, a self-taught artist, educator and cultural historian, is working with the Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity (ISRE) to highlight the value of the arts, specifically visual literacy, in efforts to understand the resilience and contributions of African Americans. On a broader level, he is engaging in activities that will augment diversity programs and initiatives at ODU.
His 400th Commemoration Art Exhibit was unveiled at Goode Theatre in January 2020. Developed exclusively for viewing at ODU, this exhibition features more than 20 original pieces that speak to the totality of African American experiences and contributions from the past to the present. You can watch a virtual presentation of the exhibit at this link.
During his career, Ellis has created more than 5,000 paintings that capture scenes from Southern churches, courtrooms, families and everyday life of African Americans' 400-year journey, including "Free At Last," the official Juneteenth painting.
"When we have this opportunity to talk about history, inequality, racial equity and things that we can do to be solution-oriented and bridging these gaps amongst the student population, you have all the ingredients to get students started," he said when his appointment as Scholar-in-Residence was announced in November. "We're using art as a means of communicating and healing."
To learn more about Ellis, go to http://www.tellisfineart.com/about-the-artist/.
