Troy University’s International Arts Center (IAC) and Department of Art & Design have partnered with the Alabama Contemporary Arts Center’s (ACAC) “Museum Without Walls” program to host artists-in-residence Winter Rusiloski and Angel Fernandez, who have installed a temporary public artwork at 204 E Walnut St as a preview of their September exhibition at the Huo Bao Zhu Gallery in the IAC.

Fernandez and Rusiloski, who have previously served as visiting artists, create work that engages with land use and the existing landscape. Together, they spent three weeks creating the art installation. The vacant lots in Downtown Troy were offered by Caleb Dawson, a furniture designer who operates his shop adjacent to the site.

In 2024, ACAC began planning its “Museum Without Walls” program schedule, which would take its projects and mission statewide. Thanks to an already established relationship and successful artist-in-residence program, TROY became one of the first contacts for the ACAC and this initiative.

According to Elizabet Elliott, Executive Director and Curator for the ACAC, the partnership functions as of form of mutual aid.

“Our focus on small towns and underserved regions of the state allows us to map resources across large and small institutions and bring those resources to bear in local landscapes. Troy University has a vibrant arts program, talented staff and educators, and all the facilities we could need.”

Elliott also shared how the partnership aligns with broader goals for community engagement.

“Troy’s commitment to art as a tool to make a better world allowed us to design a project that starts to build connections between the vibrancy of their program, the IAC, and the local community,” Elliot said. “Our hope is that this plants a seed and leads to greater imagination and reinvestment.”

According to Dawson, the collaboration provided insights beyond the final artwork.

“I got to be around Angel and Winter while they were working, so I learned about their artistic process, their life experiences, and their connection to the media they work in,” he shared. “I was really happy to get the chance to use our space for this project because people in small towns benefit from art just like people in big cities do. Art can make an ordinary day into a memorable day!”

Carrie Jaxon, the IAC’s Director and Curator, shared that the residency with Rusiloski and Fernandez and partnership with the ACAC exemplify TROY’s Department of Art and Design, along with the IAC’s role as a catalyst for creative investigation and academic engagement. 

“More than a final exhibition, it’s a collaborative process that invites our students, faculty, and community into the heart of artistic research and exploration,” Jaxon said. “By supporting projects that are both visually compelling and researched based, we advance the IAC’s mission: to serve not only as a venue for showcasing beautiful art but as a center for dialogue, experimentation, and regional leadership in the arts. This is the kind of work that positions Troy University as a vital contributor to the cultural and scholarly landscape of the Southeast.”

Will Jacks, Assistant Professor of Photography and Director of the Huo Bao Zhu Gallery, emphasized the research-based foundation of the collaboration.

“This partnership with Winter and Angel, in collaboration with the Alabama Contemporary Arts Center, is grounded in rigorous local research and a shared curiosity to better understand the community we all live in and serve,” Jacks said. “It also reflects the original vision behind the creation of the IAC—an institution committed not only to world-class arts programming but also to scholarly excellence in artmaking and research. Artists and organizations from across the region and around the globe are increasingly recognizing this commitment and actively seeking opportunities to collaborate with us.”

Sara Dismukes, Professor of Art and Design, highlighted the educational value of the residency program.

“We are incredibly fortunate to host Winter Rusiloski and Angel Fernandez as they advance their research practice within the Huo Bao Zhu Gallery at the International Arts Center, supported by the full team from the Alabama Contemporary Arts Center,” Dismukes shared. “This residency functions as a living laboratory, where students, faculty, and the wider community engage directly with artists, curators, and cultural practitioners as they develop this site-specific installation. The sustained presence of these collaborators provides rare access to the processes of artistic inquiry, curatorial decision-making, and institutional practice—experiences typically reserved for larger museums and research institutions.”

The artists will participate in an Artist Talk with Elliott on September 18 from 12-1 p.m. at the IAC, followed by an Artist Reception from 5-7 p.m. the same day. Rusiloski and Fernandez’s exhibition “Transience: Trace and Erasure in Lost Landscapes” will be on display from September 18 through November 16 in the Huo Bao Zhu Gallery in the IAC.

For more information about the public events, please contact the Department of Art & Design at 334-670-3391 or the IAC at 334-808-6412. More information can also be requested from Professors Dismukes or Jacks at sdismukes@troy.edu and wjacks@troy.edu or at the IAC iac@troy.edu.

Updates are also available via the department’s Instagram account. 

The Artist-in-Residence program is funded in part by the Alabama State Council on the Arts.