"Mom said, 'Have Faith!'"
Artist Richard Bay
Show runs from: June 6 until July 21, 2008
“Mom said, ‘Have Faith!’”
Dr. Richard J. Bay, Art Education Professor at Radford University, is a rebel painter and creator. Yet he is a rebel with a cause. Dr. Bay delights in art’s ability to provoke viewers to reevaluate their worldviews, to question assumptions and long-held personal beliefs. In his latest exhibition, “Mom said, ‘Have Faith!’”, to be held in the Virginia Tech Perspective Gallery from June 6 (Opening Night) through July 21, he tackles the incendiary topic of faith and deconstructs the word’s religious connotations. With each of his pieces, Dr. Bay challenges viewers’ inclination to categorize dismissively or judge quickly.
Perspective Gallery curator Mary Tartaro said, "From the first time I saw Richard Bay's work, I was impressed by his fresh, raw, innocent approach. The work has an immediacy which is as inspiring as the artist¹s contagious enthusiasm for its making. His rich surfaces draw the viewer in and then takes them deeper into autobiographical territory."