The Center for Global Engagement will be launching a month-long art exhibit, Global Gallery, featuring photographs by UT students, faculty, and staff. The purpose of the Global Gallery exhibit is to visually bring the “volunteer experience” from around the world to UT’s campus and promote global understanding. 

The Gallery will be open to the public in the Student Union Gallery on the first floor from October 11th to November 5th. The photographs featured throughout the exhibit capture the global experience of each photographer. The interactive exhibit will allow the audience to stroll through the exhibit, scan the QR code using their smartphone and listen to stories behind each photograph. 

“The challenges of the global pandemic of 2020 demanded new approaches to continue our mission of promoting cultural awareness.” Gretchen Neisler, Vice Provost for International Affairs and Director of the Center for Global Engagement said. “In the wake of limited gatherings, closed facilities, and disrupted travel across the world, the Center for Global Engagement made purposeful shifts in the design, medium, and structure of its outreach. We used our existing programming as pillars to discover new ways to meet the challenges…The Global Gallery is one of the activities that emerged from this environmental scan.” 

In addition to Global Gallery, CGE will also host an inaugural “Global Talk” by Rupy Sawhney, Heath Faculty Fellow in Business and Engineering. The event will bring the local and campus community together to talk about the creative ways international engagement has emerged on campus throughout the global pandemic and inspire new practices moving forward. More information will be posted on the university events calendar. 

“Success for global citizens in the 21st century must include the five Cs: critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and compassion – which exposure to the arts can advance,” Neisler added. 

The Global Gallery encourages students to immerse themselves into cultures across the globe and express their unique experiences with the UT community.

CGE invites the campus and the Knoxville community to embrace international engagement by attending the international-themed exhibit coming to campus this fall. For more information and a preview of the artwork, please visit https://cge.utk.edu/communications/2021globalgallery/