CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.- The University of Virginia Art Museum opened three exhibits in June. "William Wylie: Carrara" opened June 3 and runs through July 6 in the media gallery, "Mutual Attraction: Photographs from the Collection of the University of Virginia Art Museum" went on view June 10 through Aug. 30.

"Charlottesville Collects Arts of the Himalayas", the third exhibit, responds to the interest in Himalayan art and culture that exists in the University of Virginia academic and Charlottesville communities. Featured in the exhibition are selections from the University of Virginia Art Museum's growing collection of Tibetan paintings, sculpture and ritual objects. Tibetan, Nepalese and Buthanese artworks from local collectors, University faculty and students also contribute to the exhibit and show specific aspects of Himalayan culture, religion and arts. The exhibition, organized by the 2007-08 Luzak-Lindner Graduate Student Fellow Elena Pakhoutova, runs through Aug. 3.

William Wylie has worked over seven years making photographs and shooting video in the spectacular marble quarries of Carrara, Italy. The exhibit, "William Wylie: Carrara," is a collection of video pieces as meditations on the workers and the work involved in everyday activities in the quarries. To create the videos, Wylie used high-definition video to record the passing of time and the processes involved in moving, cutting and hauling the massive marble blocks. These videos capture the essence of the labor and life of the cavatori (stonecutters) as well as the machines that they use to dismantle the mountains.

"Mutual Attraction: Photographs from the Collection of the University of Virginia Art Museum" features a small grouping selected from a trove of choice photographic images on the theme of attraction and beauty held by the museum. Some of the subjects openly court the photographer's gaze with their own good looks, while others respond to each other or themselves in situations made for viewers, strangers they will never know. Included in the exhibition are works by Richard Avedon, Man Ray, Burk Uzzle and William Wylie.