W&L’s Staniar Gallery Presents Josh T Franco’s ‘FERAL (A History of Art)’ The solo exhibition opens Sept. 4 and kicks off the gallery’s fall season.

Staniar Gallery
August 21, 2026

Washington and Lee University’s Staniar Gallery is pleased to present “FERAL (A History of Art),” a solo exhibition by Josh T Franco. The exhibit will be on view from Sept. 4 through Oct. 9. Franco will also give an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 22 in Wilson Concert Hall in the Lenfest Center for the Arts.

The exhibition and reception events are free and open to the public.

Franco holds a doctorate in art history, a discipline he first discovered through an AP course in high school. His continued participation in the field — spanning nearly 20 years — includes creating pieces for museum and gallery spaces while also producing scholarship for publications and lectures.

As an artist, Franco’s primary medium is the discipline of art history itself, and he considers making art to be a form of research equivalent to conducting field work or studying primary sources in archives and museums. This practice includes drawing, painting, photography, video, sculpture, installation, sound and performance, and across this variety of media, Franco demonstrates his studio-based consideration of significant art historical figures from Erwin Panofsky to Georgia O’Keeffe. Working through these legacies in the studio provides the artist a space away from the taming disciplinary force of art history; and the history of art emerging from Franco’s studio is a feral one.

Franco completed a bachelor’s degree in art history at Southwestern University and earned his master’s and doctorate in the same field from Binghampton University. His art has been exhibited and supported by museums, galleries and foundations worldwide, including Co-Lab Projects (Austin, Texas), the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center (San Antonio, Texas), Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels), the Addison Gallery of American Art (Andover, Massachusetts), the Agave Festival Marfa (Texas), the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (Santa Fe, New Mexico), the Art Bridges Foundation (Bentonville, Arkansas) and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. Franco also served as the NEH Innovator in Residence at Colorado College during the 2025-2026 academic year.

“FERAL” exhibition is curated by Katja Rivera, curator of contemporary art at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, in collaboration with the artist.

For more information about the 2026-27 exhibition and programming schedule, visit the Staniar Gallery’s website.

Staniar Gallery is located on the second floor of Wilson Hall, in Washington and Lee University’s Lenfest Center for the Arts. When the campus is open to the public, gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, please call 540-458-8861.