Vamba Bility is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in New York, NY. Much like his West African and coastal New England upbringing, Bility’s work traverses materials and mediums while weaving together a philosophical quest that sits within the poiesis of the everyday. Through explorations, interrogations, the making process and installations, Bility brings forward a lyrical ensemble of personal experiences in relation to shared cultures and their reverberations.
His work has appeared in solo and group exhibitions, including at Kasmin Gallery, New York, NY; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA; Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, UMBC, Baltimore, MD; The Africa Center, New York, NY; Lyles & King, New York, NY; and The Kitchen, New York, NY. Bility received his BFA in textiles from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and his MFA in painting/printmaking from Yale University School of Art, where he was awarded the Carol Schlosberg Memorial Prize for excellence in painting. He was also selected for the Alex Brown Foundation residency program in Des Moines, IA.
Courses
Fall 2024 Courses
SCULP 4717-02 - SENIOR SCULPTURE: STUDIO I
LevelUndergraduate
UnitSculpture
Subject Sculpture
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
FormatStudio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
SCULP 4717-02
SENIOR SCULPTURE: STUDIO I
LevelUndergraduate
UnitSculpture
Subject Sculpture
PeriodFall 2024
Credits3
FormatStudio
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: T | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PMInstructor(s): Vamba BilityLocation(s): Memorial Hall, Room 401Enrolled / Capacity: 12Status: Closed
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Building upon the independent work accomplished in Junior studio, students are expected to generate self directed work supported by in-process critiques, formal critiques, and individual meetings. Faculty and peer feedback will help students clarify their objectives, fine tune their technical abilities, and develop a strong working practice. Students are expected to hone their creative problem-solving skills and engage in a high level of dialog and work. Throughout the fall, students will practice integrating their source research into their studio practice. An increased and rigorous integration of contemporary art, critical theory, and criticism is expected. The visiting artist lecture series is a vital component of this course.
Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Senior Sculpture Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture
Spring 2025 Courses
SCULP 4739-02 - JUNIOR SCULPTURE: STUDIO II
LevelUndergraduate
UnitSculpture
Subject Sculpture
Period Spring 2025
Credits 3
FormatStudio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
SCULP 4739-02
JUNIOR SCULPTURE: STUDIO II
LevelUndergraduate
UnitSculpture
Subject Sculpture
PeriodSpring 2025
Credits3
FormatStudio
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2025-02-13 to 2025-05-23
Times: T | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PMInstructor(s): Vamba BilityEnrolled / Capacity: 12Status: Open
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is a continuation of the vital pathway into independent work in Sculpture. Thematically driven prompts will provide the scaffolding of three major work sessions that direct the conversation in the studio. These studio conversations will take the form of in-process critiques, formal group critiques, and scheduled individual meetings. Students may also expect intersecting projects with shorter timeframes when appropriate. The visiting artist lecture series is a vital component of this course.
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Junior Sculpture Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture
SCULP 4786-02 - SCULPTURE SEMINAR II: VISUAL AND CRITICAL LITERACIES
LevelUndergraduate
UnitSculpture
Subject Sculpture
Period Spring 2025
Credits 3
FormatSeminar
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
SCULP 4786-02
SCULPTURE SEMINAR II: VISUAL AND CRITICAL LITERACIES
LevelUndergraduate
UnitSculpture
Subject Sculpture
PeriodSpring 2025
Credits3
FormatSeminar
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2025-02-13 to 2025-05-23
Times: W | 1:10 PM - 4:10 PMInstructor(s): Vamba BilityEnrolled / Capacity: 15Status: Open
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Junior Seminar: Critical Issues is an intermediary level course designed to facilitate and support an intense study of themes relevant to art practices and conversations today. Through a series of readings, films, classroom discussion, group, and independent work, students learn to contextualize myriad discourses using the frames of art history, critical theory, philosophy, ethics, and politics. In this studio-centered seminar, students will develop a critical literacy that is applicable to their working practices and the attendant process of using materials to make meaning. This course supports discourse around the formation of the artist in an effort to figure out meaningful strategies for the development and maintenance of sustainable artistic and intellectual practices.
Estimated Cost of Materials: $50.00
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Junior Sculpture Students.
