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Museums At W&L Receive Terra Grant
The Museums at Washington and Lee University have been awarded a $50,000 collections grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art (TFAA) to support the exhibition “Stephanie Shih:LONGTIMENOSEE ( 好久不見 )” that draws from the Museums’ Reeves collection of Chinese export porcelain.
The exhibition debuted in the Reeves Museum of Ceramics on Aug. 28 and lasts through June 7, 2025.
Stephanie Shih is a secondgeneration Taiwanese Chinese American photographer, visual artist and linguistics professor, who in 2022 was invited to mine the Reeves Collection and serve as the inaugural artist-inresidence.
“ LONG TIME NO SEE ( 好 久不見 )” is a new still life photographic series consisting of 15 life-size photography and videobased installations inspired by the Museums’ collection of Chinese ceramics, both export and domestic.
The exhibit was organized by Isra El-beshir, director of the art museum and galleries at W&L, and Shih.
The Terra Foundation for American Art, established in 1978 and having offices in Chicago and Paris, supports organizations and individuals locally and globally to foster intercultural dialogues and encourage transformative practices that expand narratives of American art, through the foundation’s grant program, collection and initiatives.
The funding received from the TFAA is assisting the Museums in creating an interdisciplinary and cultural lens for interpreting the legacy of the Asian export ceramics trade, will be essential in expanding the programming and workshops surrounding Shih’s exhibition, and will help to produce digital and printed exhibition guides and an exhibition catalogue.
“We are profoundly grateful to the Terra Foundation for its generous grant in support of Stephanie Shih’s residency project, ‘LONG TIME NO SEE ( 好 久不見 ),’” said El-beshir. “Shih’s residency project introduces new knowledge and a fresh perspective to our renowned Chinese export porcelain collection, brings visibility to Asian narratives and embodies the bold and innovative spirit that the Terra Foundation champions.”
“The cultivation of engaged citizenship is essential to W&L’s mission,” said Provost Lena Hill. “We aim to help students become not only personally successful but also thoughtful difference-makers in their communities. The Museums at W&L and this important exhibit help advance our mission, and we deeply appreciate the Terra Foundation for its support and recognition of the significance of Shih’s artwork and our commitment to equity and inclusion.”
The Museums at W&L consist of three sites - the Reeves Museum of Ceramics, University Chapel and Chapel Galleries, and Watson Galleries - and are open to the public Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information on exhibitions and programming, visit the Museums at W&L’s website at https://wlu.edu/arts/museums.
