The University Gallery is a contemporary art gallery that serves the Art & Design Department, the University of Massachusetts Lowell, as well as the city of Lowell and the greater Merrimack Valley Region. The gallery hosts 4-6 major exhibitions each year, including the biannual B.F.A. show featuring the senior projects from the Art & Design studios. From emerging artists to seasoned practitioners with national and international reputations, the University Gallery's exhibition program showcases a broad variety of artistic approaches, media and content reflecting the curricula of the Art & Design program and enhancing the cultural environment of the community and surrounding area.

The University Gallery is located on the first floor of Mahoney Hall at 870 Broadway Street, Lowell, Mass.

Gallery Exhibitions: Admission is free and opening receptions usually include a lecture by the curator or exhibiting artist.

Current Event & Exhibit

DRAWLOWELL:confluence

Saturday, September 14, 2024, 2 – 6 p.m. 

DRAWLowell:confluence Logo

The Department of Art & Design at the University of Massachusetts Lowell is partnering with the Whistler House Museum of Art (WHMA), the Arts League of Lowell (ALL), the Brush Art Gallery and Studios, the Arts Research Collaborative (ARC), and the DRAW team from the LeRoy Neiman foundation to present DRAWLOWELL:confluence - on view from September 12 - November 3, 2024. There will be a Day of DRAWLOWELL celebration at the various locations on Saturday, September 14, 2024. These events are free, accessible, and open to all.

Conceived by lead curator Tomas Vu from Columbia University, DRAWLOWELL:confluence a broader definition of drawing as a means for sharing ideas and forging connections that transcend the geographic and cultural boundaries between Lowell art communities and the wider art world. The works included represent a wide range of 21st century drawing, from the playful and whimsical to serious investigations of thought and form.

A graphite drawing of a close-up of a palm tree’s striped trunk.
Sandra Allen's drawing Echelon, graphite on paper, 44X44”, from the exhibition series DRAW.

DRAW has thus far existed in 11 iterations in 6 countries. Each institution contributed suggestions for local artists, many of whom went on to join the exhibitions that followed. For this 12th iteration of DRAW, this collaboration and de-centering continues with artists such as Kiki Smith, Cecily Brown, Michael Mazur, John Walker, and many more displaying their sketches and drawings alongside New England artists selected by the curatorial team and a juried selection of artist members of the host institutions in Lowell.

DRAWLOWELL:confluence will also include an interactive, live-action mural titled “100 Years of Protest” by Rirkrit Tiravanija that will reflect some of the most pressing political topics of our time. We invite local artists and students to come to the Mahoney Gallery in UML’s Mahoney Hall on south campus to participate, using photographs depicting public protests and mass demonstrations from around the globe. This live drawing will provide a perspectival view of collective action and popular sovereignty movements worldwide—turning ephemeral images of strife and social conflict into documents of political aspiration.

DRAWLOWELL:confluence is funded with a generous grant from the Artist’s Resource Trust, administered by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Lead artists Elizabeth Alexander, Fred Liang, and Stephen Mishol will be highlighted in the exhibition as a result of this grant, which is matched by the University of Massachusetts Lowell. A special thanks to the Neiman Center for Print Studies at Columbia University and the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation for loaning work from their archives.

On the day of DRAWLOWELL:confluence, Saturday, September 14, 2024, start at UML’s South Campus:

University Gallery and Mahoney Gallery at UML | 2 - 4 p.m.
870 Broadway Street (South Campus)
Visitors may park in the visitor lot on the corner of Bachelder and Wilder Street. After 3:30 p.m. on weekdays the visitors may park in any open lot. Thursday evenings after 3:30 and Saturdays are the best days for off campus visitors to visit the University Gallery because gates go up and the parking lots are mostly open.

Then head downtown Lowell:

Arts Research Collaborative | 2 - 4 p.m.
82 Prescott Street
Street parking or HCID Parking Facility.

Arts League of Lowell (ALL) | 2 - 4 p.m.
307 Market Street
Street parking or HCID Parking Facility.

Brush Art Gallery and Studios | 2 - 4 p.m.
GPS: HCID Parking Garage
Street parking or HCID Parking Facility. After parking head for the flagpole near the opening in the large mill building.

Whistler House Museum of Art (WHMA) | 3 - 6 p.m.
243 Worthen Street
Street parking, Hellenic School Parking Lot (next door) or HCID Parking Facility.

Convene at the Whistler House after exploring our other locations for refreshments and curators’ remarks at 5 p.m.

Please note that all locations, except for the University Gallery, are in an easy walking distance of each other.

For more information visit:
www.drawlive.org

For questions and additional information reach out to:
Deborah Santoro
Gallery Director
Department of Art & Design
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Deborah_Santoro@uml.edu

Mass Cultural Council logo

The University Gallery is supported in part by a grant from the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

  • Monday - Wednesday and Friday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Thursday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
  • Saturday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  • Appointments recommended, call 978-934-3494.

Closed during school breaks.

Please contact us for more information.

The University Gallery is accessible to all. Gallery events are free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Wilder Metered Lot, located at the intersection of Wilder Street and Bachelder Street. The entrance to the lot is located on Bachelder Street. After 4 p.m. visitors may park in any open campus lot.

Past Exhibits

View University Gallery Past Exhibits