Artist and advocate Sarah Sudhoff to present at APSU for CECA Visiting Artist Speaker Series

By: Michael Dickins October 15, 2024

Sarah Sudhoff’s “Not a Drill” pairs everyday child-centered materials with art-texts as a commentary on K-12 shootings and increased levels of gun violence.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s Department of Art + Design, with support from the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, is welcoming Cuban American artist and community advocate Sarah Sudhoff for a solo exhibition, Not a Drill, to continue the 2024-25 CECA Visiting Artist Speaker Series.

Sudhoff will deliver a free public lecture at 6 p.m. on Oct. 29 in Heydel Hall, located in the Art + Design Building Room 120.

“My project is attuned to focus on K-12 shootings, as well as the larger social issue regarding increased gun violence,” Sudhoff said. “Using everyday, child-centered materials such as paper, ink, felt, blankets, and plastic, paired with art-texts that read like headlines or protest slogans, I open up visceral conversations about the fragility of life. In doing so, I arm individuals and communities with resources, solidarity, and a voice, rather than weapons.”

Sudhoff’s thought-provoking message and innovative use of materials made her an ideal choice for the CECA Visiting Artist Speaker Series.

“We’re thrilled to host Sarah Sudhoff in The New Gallery,” said Michael Dickins, chair of the Department of Art + Design’s CECA Visiting Artist Speaker Committee. “Her interdisciplinary work is timely and affecting, and presents our students and community with a great opportunity for engagement.”

For more on this free public lecture, contact Dickins at dickinsm@apsu.edu. To learn about future CECA Visiting Artist Speaker Series events, visit https://www.apsu.edu/art-design/galleries/visiting-artists.php.

There are several events associated with the exhibition:

Clarksville’s First Thursday Art Walks: 5-7:30 p.m., Nov. 7 and Dec. 5

Sarah Sudhoff artist lecture: 6 p.m., Oct. 29 in the Art + Design Building, Room 120. Sudhoff will present her work and creative practices.

Reception and Gallery Talk: Noon, Oct. 30 in The New Gallery

The New Gallery’s hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on weekends and holidays and follows the university’s academic calendar.

Thanks to the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA) at Austin Peay, all exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.

About Sarah Sudhoff

Sarah Sudhoff is a Cuban American interdisciplinary artist who interweaves themes of art, science and technology. She deconstructs narratives to gain clarity and create immersive spaces for discovery through photographs, video, installation, and sound. For the past 15 years, her work has been influenced by her professional background as a photojournalist, which has allowed her to systematize her curious nature while maintaining a personal and ethical obligation to any given subject area.

All of her works are, in some way, socially engaged and inherently participatory. The way these methods and materials are utilized varies from project to project and takes advantage of the media, site, and participants involved. Sudhoff's works can be categorized into one or more of the following three areas of concern: ethics of care, social practice, and data employment. By using creative practice as a mediator between subjective and objective experiences, she engages in conversations that address bodies and communities as shared and yet, ultimately, distinct.