The Lamar Dodd School of Art is committed to fostering an inclusive, welcoming and safe environment for all students, faculty, and staff. We recognize that we are enriched and strengthened by a variety of perspectives and backgrounds, and we acknowledge that attention to issues of diversity, justice, and equity enhance a dynamic learning environment, the quality of our creative pursuits and research, and the culture of our School community.
If you're interested in working with us or have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to reach out to dodd-solidarity@uga.edu.
Report Hate and Bias
The Lamar Dodd School of Art is a community where diversity is valued and incidents of hate and bias are not tolerated. Anyone who feels that they have been the victim of a bias related incident (or who have witnessed a bias-related incident) are encouraged to contact UGA's Equal Opportunity Office (EOO).
In fall 2020, an ad hoc Solidarity & Justice Committee was formed in the School of Art. The committee, made up of faculty, staff, and students, spearheads efforts in the School to prioritize inclusivity and to identify resources and opportunities to enhance diversity and accessibility.
Since its founding, the Committee has established an art supply microgrants program, distributing funds each semester to help offset supply costs for students enrolled in studio art classes. These microgrants are funded by a Parents Leadership Council Grant with supporting funds from the School of Art.
The Committee also hosts regular town halls with School leadership, with a portion of each meeting reserved for student-only discussion. From these meetings projects have been undertaken ranging from the creation of gender-neutral bathrooms at the main art building to an ADA audit of our Thomas Street Arts Complex. The meetings also served as impetus for the founding of a faculty critique club where instructors focus on using a more deliberate method of giving feedback that could be more responsive to students' questions about their work and facilitate better learning for artists and respondents.
Want to know more? Fill out this interest form and we’ll be sure to invite you to our next open meeting or town hall!
If you’re interested in helping support this work, consider making a gift to the Dodd’s Student Opportunity Fund, which was created to re-envision and foster an equitable and just environment for underrepresented students at the Arts and in the School of Art.
The Solidarity & Justice Committee supports the Black Artist's Alliance, a campus wide student organization.
Connect with the Black Artists Alliance on Instagram.
The Reuse Spaces at both the Dodd (N135) and Thomas Street (The Stone Yard) provide a place to send any scrap or unwanted materials or tools you no longer need - if you think it can be used for another person's art, send it to the reuse space! You can also take materials and tools you find in the space for your own project. We aim to promote reuse and more conscious thinking about our material waste as artists.
The University of Georgia was built on the traditional territory of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation that was seized by the US government. Forced removal of the Creek began in 1790 in the area that includes the UGA campus. This statement acknowledges with respect the many Indigenous peoples that are still connected to this land. To learn more, visit history professor Claudio Saunt's e-history projects including Invasion of America.
Slavery was integral in the history of the University of Georgia. More information can be found at the Department of History’s UGA & Slavery site and the digital exhibition, Slavery at the University of Georgia.