WALTER KRAVITZ: SHAPING SPACE
/Walter Kravitz: Shaping Space
August 17–November 4, 2026 // Fenwick Gallery
Walter Kravitz working in the original Fenwick Library Art Gallery in 1983.
Artist and faculty member Walter Kravitz (b. 1938, Chicago) led the first permanent art exhibitions program at George Mason, beginning in 1978 in the original Fenwick Library (now Fenwick A). While Professor Kravitz retired in 2015, his commitment to visual expression and creativity has continued through Fenwick Gallery and the cross-campus initiatives of Mason Exhibitions, who work in collaboration to make art widely visible and accessible to the university community.
Kravitz has led an energetic artistic career with solo and group exhibitions at MoMA PS1, the Kreeger Museum at American University, the Hirshhorn Museum, and Washington Project for the Arts. His work spans drawing, painting, and public art installations, including a commission for Nationals Park in D.C. He studied with the late painter Sam Gilliam, a major figure of the Washington Color School, and Kravitz himself was a celebrated mentor who helped shape the careers of artists across the region.
This exhibition features three large-scale works by Kravitz selected from the University Art Collection, which illustrate his interest in dynamic, sculptural, and ephemeral forms.Alongside these works are selections from university archives, student newspapers, and historic photographs which tell the story of his early years as a curator and educator. Together, these materials illustrate Kravitz’s legacy in shaping a space for the visual arts at George Mason University.
This exhibition is a preview for a larger retrospective taking place on campus in January, 2027 in Gillespie Gallery.
Walter Kravitz, [untitled triptych], acrylic and charcoal on wood, 96”x144”
Left: Walter Kravitz, Telepathy, charcoal and acrylic on canvas, 86” x 66”. Right: photos and newspaper clippings related to Kravitz’s early exhibitions and instruction.
Selected materials from Special Collections Research Center
Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) holds university archives, historic photos, and other records related to the earliest years of George Mason. The materials below are drawn from the records of the University Libraries, the Office of University Relations, and issues of The Broadside, Mason’s student newspaper through 2013 (superceded by The Fourth Estate). More materials can be found in SCRC and in the library’s digital collections.
