The Department of Art invites the public to the opening of the annual student exhibition Thursday, March 10, from 5-7 p.m. in the Fielding Wright Art Center.Faculty from Delta State University’s Department of Art invite the public to the annual faculty exhibition with a special opening reception Thursday from 5-7 p.m. in the Fielding Wright Art Center.
The department features practicing artists, designers and filmmakers who regularly exhibit in venues across the nation. The annual exhibition offers the campus and public an opportunity to view new faculty work and serves as inspiration for its students.
This year’s exhibition introduces two new faculty members, Natalie Carroll, a graphic designer, and Jon Mark Nail, a filmmaker. Both will show work that reflects their experience of the Mississippi Delta.
As a recent arrival in Mississippi, Carroll’s work explores the community and what she perceives as its distinct character. Nail, who is a native of Mississippi, has long been fascinated by what he calls Mississippi’s idiosyncrasies. He claims, “What we find when we examine this land and its people are a specific and carefully defined cultural heritage you are unlikely to find anywhere else in the world.”
Also featured in this year’s exhibit is the work of visiting assistant professor Will Jacks. Jacks, a professional photographer, in recent years has turned from digital photography to traditional photographic techniques which yield precious one-of-a-kind images.
“A few years ago I was using my iPhone to create images more than any other camera I owned,” said Jacks. “I liked the availability of it. I liked the simplicity and I liked that in an instant I could share my work with the world in a gallery space with no physical brick and mortar boundaries.
“But I hated that the work would slowly disappear into the never-ending ether of imagery that the online exhibition space I shared with the world had become. I hated that no one would one day get lost in a sea of boxes in the corner of my attic and discover a collection of marked paper tucked inside them. Paper containing the imagery of my past, providing a bread crumb-like trail of stories telling of the journeys and people that had been a part of my life.”
These new additions find themselves in the company of established Delta State art faculty. Ron Koehler, department chair, will present a new body of work titled “Balanced Diet Series.” The precariously balanced sculptural renditions of food are a humorous take on our preoccupation with healthy eating.
Nathaniel Hein and Michael Stanley address social issues in their work. Hein’s work is a response to widespread apathy in the face of pressing social and environmental issues. His presented work, created in collaboration with his partner Jennifer Gonzalez, addresses social inequity. Hein and Gonzalez always approach their concerns with a sense of humor to spur dialogue.
Stanley’s work examines issues surrounding climate change. The artist professes that he is “constantly amazed in our ability as humans to filter out the information that opposes our personal thoughts and beliefs, despite information informing us of the contrary.” His work does not offer solutions to environmental issues, nor does it point fingers, instead he attempts “to shed light on the nonsensical act of ignoring the facts that are seemingly staring us in the face.”
Cetin Oguz is the sole painter represented in the exhibition. Oguz creates large-scale abstract paintings that play with texture, color and form and convey a sense of “beauty, vigor, drama and a hint of surprise.”
Ky Johnston, a ceramic artist, utilizes cups as carriers for his drawings and paintings. The ubiquity of these humble objects in our daily life make them an attractive carrier for the artist’s work and allow him to explore “narratives and ideas that involve the user’s imagination over a long period of time.”
As Johnston states, “I enjoy the interplay between the roles of form, surface and function, and how these serve the intended and unintended meanings that objects carry — as well as the place they occupy in our lives, in art and advertising.”
Mollie Rushing and Michaela Merryday both work in fiber. Rushing creates artful quilts with complex patterns, color harmonies and textures. For her, quilt making is more than a form of expression, it is a form of meditation.
Merryday produces wall pieces and jewelry from felt. Her choice of medium is the result of her interest in sustainability, as felt has a low environmental impact and is recyclable. The forms of her work are inspired by minimalist designs – from the pared-down furniture of the Bauhaus to Donald Judd’s aluminum boxes. By translating their forms and textures into soft organic materials that invite touch, she attempts to humanize minimalism.
The exhibit will be on display until Oct. 31. The gallery is open Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m. and on Friday from 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. For more information, contact the Department of art at 662-846-4720.
