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LUAG is a free art museum located at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. Tracing our roots to 1926, the current museum cares for a permanent collection of over 18,000 works of art from diverse cultures and time periods, including over 50 outdoor sculptures. Through exhibitions, programs, and community engagement, we are a resource for all who wish to view, study, or teach with works of art.
We are committed to making the collection and exhibitions inclusive and accessible, both in person and online, for individual and collective learning, teaching, scholarship, creative practices, civic engagement, and general enjoyment. LUAG presents a variety of free public programs annually that range from lectures and symposia to hands-on artmaking and student-led workshops that foster meaningful encounters with art and ideas.
Lauren Halsey (American, born in 1987) is a contemporary artist who does large-scale installations exploring Black identity, cultural heritage, and urban life. Halsey uses everyday materials like signage, posters, and found objects to construct a complex narrative, blending iconography from her community and roots. Through her powerful installations, Halsey envisions both a past and future that celebrates the beauty and history of Black culture.
This work of art was researched and chosen for museum acquisition by Lehigh University students who took ART275: Museum Collections and Exhibitions in Spring 2023.
This piece is about the size of a large door, and is hand-carved onto gypsum and acrylic on wood. Gypsum is a material used in drywall. The surface is smooth and white in color, and the piece is shaped into 8 square tiles, arranged in 2 columns of 4 tiles each. Each tile features an intricate carving of an androgynous human head, where the nape of the neck and backside of the head are the focus of each tile.
Starting with the first row, left tile: the head slightly tilted back and faces to the left. A design of 3 large stars and the words “Star Child” are shaved into the hair in a fun block letter font. The first row, right tile is a head facing forward, with hair in a protective style, called bantu knots, where the hair is parted into triangular sections and twisted into knots all around the head.
The next head, the second row, left tile, faces the right, with a shaved style with the words “Pee” “Funk” and “Bootzilla” in the same block font. A simple right ear is visible. The second row, right tile has the words “Westerns Finest” in a spiky graffiti-esque font shaved into the head that faces the right, with no distinguishable features.
Next, in the third row, left tile, the head faces down to the right, with the word “Funkapus” shaved into the hair around the nape of the neck, above the ear, again in a graffiti font. The third row, right tile features a right facing head with smooth finger waves flowing from the top of the skull to the nape of the neck. There is a triangular hoop earring in the ear.
In the last row, the left tile, the head is faced completely to the side, towards the left, with a noticeable hairline and ear. This hairstyle has “Slauson Bay” shaved in a similar font. The head of the last tile, on the right side faces the right and has a shooting star design and “Lil Bit” shaved into the hair above the ear.
Label Information:
Lauren Halsey
American, born 1987
Untitled, Created in 2023
Hand-carved gypsum and acrylic on wood
Size: 96 inches x 48 inches x 3"(depth)
Fine Arts Endowment Purchase
Collection ID#: LUS 2023 1001
Audio Description written and narrated by Micaela Cortese, Lehigh University Class of 2026
Audio descriptions at LUAG are created by museum staff and students with the help of community feedback. If you have questions or suggestions about audio descriptions at Lehigh University Art Galleries, please feel free to reach out to inluag@lehigh.edu.