The newly named Carmen T. Thompson Gallery In honor of the legacy of Carmen Tiongson Thompson was dedicated on September 20th, 2025.
Bubble Gum on Janson’s History of Art By Artist Tom Richard
On view Now until February 26th, 2026
My “Bubble Gum on Janson’s History of Art” Series depicts illusionistic bubble gum
painted over an image from every page of the 1966 edition of Janson’s “History of Art.”
The painted bubble gum masks a part of the composition to hint at a transformation –
from black & white to color, appropriation to original, high to low, masking to potential,
and serious to whimsy.
The pieces are arranged as they were in the textbook, grouped by chapter and
organized in the order that they were presented. They are matted in a format to mask
the text from the page while showing the image in its original page location.
This series focuses on the space between the serious and the absurd and the frivolous
amongst the sacred. I use this seeming contradiction to relate to how we teach art
history. While many contemporary artists have critiqued the way western art history has
been presented in the past, some have taken those thoughts a step further. I am one
such artist.
Gallery Hours
Weekdays 10AM-4:30PM
Closed during Fall/Spring Break, National Holidays and in accordance to campus closures.
In the event of inclement weather, the gallery will close based on campus protocol. Please contact the Inclement Weather/Class Status Line: 501-450-5000 for more information.
