Strand Gallery

January 11 - March 30, 2025

ArtWalk Reception
Saturday, January 11, 2025
6 – 9 PM
Artist talk at 6:30 PM

These exhibitions are supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Texas Commission on the Arts. Artist accommodations generously provided by Hotel Lucine.

Vitus Shell
Study Long, Study Wrong

Vitus Shell’s mixed media collage paintings portray the Black experience and give agency to the people from his community through powerful images deconstructing, sampling, and remixing identity, civil rights, and contemporary Black culture. His exhibition title, Study Long, Study Wrong, quotes the late Texas rapper Pimp C, known for his provocative lyrics and stylish wardrobe, who declared, “If you study long, you study wrong.” This mantra is often repeated during lively games of dominoes as a reminder to keep the game moving and not overthink every move. Shell invokes this slogan to challenge the self-doubt imposed by the systemic oppression of individuals through the American education system and their depictions in media. In order to overcome second-guessing oneself, Shell’s work embodies the power of personal agency and emphasizes the importance of simply being. For Shell, “learning about oneself and the community’s history, individuals can unlock a deeper understanding of our existence and embrace our inherent value.”

Vitus Shell is a mixed-media collage painter born in Monroe, LA, where he lives and works. He received a BFA from Memphis College of Art in 2000 and an MFA from the University of Mississippi in 2008. Shell has been in residence at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Anderson Ranch Art Center, Hermitage Artist Retreat, Mass MoCA, Joan Mitchell Center, Skowhegan School of Art, and Masur Museum of Art. His work has been featured in exhibitions at universities, museums, and private galleries across the country including The McKenna Museum of African American Art, Stephen F. Austin University, Miami University, Oxford, OH. Shell has painted murals for the National Civil Rights Museum’s NBA Pioneers exhibit, Indianola City Pool in Indianola, MS, and Union Parish Elementary School in Farmerville, LA. Shell was also commissioned by the Memphis UrbanArt Commission for a public art project. He has received numerous grants including the Joan Mitchell MFA Award. Shell is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Louisiana Tech University.

theshellofvitus.com