Exhibiting in the upstairs galleries, Joseph Seipel presents mixed media work inspired by his recent travels to Cuba. Each piece begins as a photograph, which he adheres onto foam board, then digitally and physically manipulates. He transforms the two-dimensional photographs into sculptural objects by building up paint and gypsum or cutting out specific blocks and lines within the scene, sometimes extending the image beyond its frame.

Seipel received his BS in Art from University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1970 and MFA at the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute in 1973. Taking roots in Richmond in 1974, he is now recognized as one of the city’s most influential arts advocates and educators. Seipel has dedicated 40 years to VCUarts, beginning in 1974 as a Sculpture Professor, later becoming Chair of the Sculpture Department in 1985, Senior Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in 2001, and eventually Dean of the School of Arts in 2011 until 2016. Currently, he is the Interim Director of VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art. Seipel has exhibited nationally and internationally, including venues in Virginia, Peru, Milan, Italy, New York, and Washington, D.C.