Milner Library invites the campus community to a special event featuring artist Eric Anthony Berdis as part of his exhibit, Remember You Are A Sunflower: Drawings Artifacts, and Scores for a Performance, on Monday, October 28, at 9 a.m. on Floor 6. Light refreshments will be provided.

Eric Anthony Berdis is an artist interested in identities of the ghost of queer history and the abandoned practices of our past. Positioning a maximalist aesthetic of archival research, personal secrets, and gay boy glamour in his installations and performances, Berdis creates a world that is both familiar and inherently strange. Through performance, textile sculpture, and embellished drawings, he examines feelings of failure, nonlinearity, and humor, asking the audience to question their own identity as he confronts his. This exhibition includes performance ephemera and a selection of related publications from Milner Library’s Collection that will be available through December 15. Berdis’ exhibit is a collaboration with University Galleries, who is hosting an additional exhibit of Berdis’ work.

Eric Anthony Berdis received his B.F.A. from Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, and an M.F.A. in fiber, craft and material studies from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Berdis’ work and performances have been exhibited at Bunker Project, Pittsburgh; Random Access Gallery, Syracuse, New York; The Second Floor, Karachi, Pakistan; and Little Berlin, Baltimore; among others. In 2017 Berdis was a Visiting Artist at Syracuse University and Bunker Projects. He recently participated in “Abandoned Practices” at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and holds the title of LGBTQIA+ service coordinator at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, where he lives and works.

About Milner Library Exhibits Program

Milner Library’s Exhibits Program provides a platform for campus and community partners to host and present diverse works of art, science, and culture. Milner Library pursues informative, interactive, and educational programs that support the University’s educational mission and reflect our vibrant community. View the entire fall exhibit lineup.

If you need an accommodation to fully participate in any events, please contact Erin Link. Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.