Chatham Hall Art Students Explore Contemporary Creativity at the Maier Museum

On Saturday, November 15, Chatham Hall art students traveled to the Maier Museum at Randolph College for an inspiring and thought-provoking look at The Audacity of Paint, an exhibition celebrating the enduring power of paint in an age defined by rapid technological change.

The show features contemporary American artists Sally Egbert, Julia Jo, Sue McNally, and Walter Price—each of whom uses paint not simply as a medium, but as a bold, expressive language. In a moment often described as an “AI tsunami,” where digital tools evolve at astonishing speed, these artists offer a compelling counterpoint: paint as a resilient, tactile, human art form. Their work highlights the sensuality of color, the physicality of brushstrokes, and the uniquely human impulse to make meaning through the hand.

For students, the exhibition provided a meaningful opportunity to consider how traditional mediums continue to hold space—and even gain new relevance, within our increasingly digital world. Discussions during and after the visit centered on process, materiality, and the ways artists respond to cultural shifts through their work.

After exploring the Maier, students continued their art-filled day with a visit to the historic downtown Bluffwalk Art Walk. They enjoyed taking in recent mural installations and public art pieces that add vibrancy, creativity, and community storytelling to the Lynchburg cityscape.

The trip offered students a valuable lens into both contemporary studio practice and the power of public art, reminding them that creativity thrives in many forms, whether on canvas, on a wall, or in the ways we engage with the world around us.