Studio VU starts new season with visiting artist, John Opera
The Vanderbilt University Department of Art will start the new Studio VU Lecture Series this fall welcoming artist John Opera to campus this September. Opera’s research explores the physical and conceptual dimensions of photography by focusing on it’s materiality, abstraction, and connection to natural phenomena. Critically examining the medium’s standardized workflows, he challenges its inherent programmability, pushing its boundaries through non-traditional processes and customized tools. Opera is program head of the Photography area at the University of Buffalo, where he is an Associate Professor of Art.
His recent exhibitions include: (Lisbon), The Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago), Paris Photo (Paris), June Art Fair (Basel), Rhode Island Center for Photography (Providence), Mrs. Gallery (New York), Carriage Trade (New York), Foreland Campus for Contemporary Art (Catskill). He is represented by DOCUMENT in Chicago, Illinois.
Opera’s campus visit is scheduled for September 10-11, 2025 and includes a public lecture about his work and studio practice, and studio visits with the senior art majors in the Vanderbilt Department of Art. Details for the public lecture are below:
Studio VU Lecture with Visiting Artist John Opera
Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Time: 4:10pm
Venue: Room 220, E. Bronson Ingram Studio Arts Center (EBI Studio Arts)
1204 25th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37240
Website: as.vanderbilt.edu/art; johnopera.com
Instagram: @vanderbilt.art
The Department of Art annually invites national and international voices in creative, curatorial, and critical-thought fields to the Vanderbilt campus through the Studio VU Lecture Series. Each visiting lecturer has a recognized career in visual arts, performance art, art criticism, and/or a combination. In addition to giving a lecture, the visiting speaker conducts one-on-one critiques with senior art major students.
The Studio VU Lecture Series began in 2007. The Department of Art would like to thank all collaborators, cosponsors, and community members for their continued support for the Studio VU program.
All lectures are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.