Silas Munro: Exploring the Grid’s Role in Organizing a Complex World
# **Designer and Multidisciplinary Artist Silas Munro Unveils New Iteration of *Black Grids* at Joseloff Gallery**
The Hartford Art School’s Joseloff Gallery is currently hosting *How Can the Grid Deal with a Messy World?*, the latest exhibition by renowned designer and multidisciplinary artist **Silas Munro**. Running through **April 12**, this exhibition marks the newest iteration of Munro’s ongoing project, *Black Grids*, an exploration of design, identity, and heritage through the foundational structure of the grid.
As the **2024–25 Georgette and Richard Koopman Distinguished Chair in the Visual Arts**, Munro has utilized his tenure at the **University of Hartford** to engage students in courses on motion design and user interface design, incorporating his unique research into the African influences embedded in graphic design history. The exhibition and its associated programming are supported by the Georgette and Richard Koopman Distinguished Chair in the Visual Arts fund.
## **Reframing the Grid Through Black Identity**
At the heart of *Black Grids* is Munro’s investigation into the grid—a tool often perceived as rigid and mathematical but, in his hands, becomes an organic and expressive element. Drawing inspiration from his **Ugandan heritage**, Munro integrates **fractals, line patterns, and references to African design traditions** to create a new visual language steeped in Black identity and liberation.
Through **video work, printmaking, tapestries, collage, and sculpture**, he extends the possibilities of the grid beyond its conventional boundaries, challenging audiences to reconsider how structure interacts with personal and cultural expression.
## **A Dialogue with Sol Lewitt**
Munro has also drawn inspiration from **Sol Lewitt**, the Hartford-born conceptual artist renowned for his **large-scale geometric wall drawings**. For this exhibition, Munro has created a **site-specific wall drawing** that blends fractal-inspired lines with a personal photograph of his grandparents. This work fosters a conversation with Lewitt’s own wall drawing, which is permanently displayed outside Joseloff Gallery’s entrance. By bringing personal history into dialogue with established geometric forms, Munro underscores the interplay between **systematic design and lived experience**.
## **Upcoming Artist Talk and Public Engagement**
In conjunction with the exhibition, Munro will participate in an **Artist Talk** at **Wilde Auditorium on Wednesday, March 26, at 5 PM (EDT)**. He will be in conversation with **Bethani Blake**, Associate Curator for the African Diaspora at the **Wadsworth Athenaeum**. The talk, which is free and open to the public, offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from Munro about his inspirations, creative process, and vision for the role of the grid in contemporary design.
## **Visit the Exhibition**
*How Can the Grid Deal with a Messy World?* is on view at the **Joseloff Gallery, located in the Harry Jack Gray Center at the University of Hartford**. The gallery is **free and open to the public** during the following hours:
– **Monday–Thursday:** Noon–6 PM
– **Friday–Saturday:** 1–5 PM
For more information about the exhibition and related programming, visit the official gallery website at [hartford.edu/gallery](https://bit.ly/4hdU8xB).
Whether you are an artist, designer, or simply a lover of contemporary visual culture, Munro’s exhibition presents an **exciting discourse on tradition, innovation, and the boundless potential of structured creativity.**