Stepping into the Memorial Union Gallery, it’s hard to focus on one place. Fractured glass pieces scattered on the wall adjacent to the entrance grab the attention immediately, but color-popping canvas, personal portraits and suspended glass structures wait just around the corner.
Featuring art from the visual arts faculty and resident artists at North Dakota State, the 2016 Faculty Exhibition holds unique pieces from a variety of art mediums.
“It’s really great we can bring all the artists together in group show,” said Anthony Faris, MU Gallery Coordinator and Curator. “It’s also an opportunity for students to see their professors as professional artists.”
Each professor had a research and exhibition requirement, but most are familiar with gallery exhibitions. They show their artwork nationally and internationally. With the MU Gallery show, they can share their research and also display the wide array of local talent.
Included in the artists is visual arts associate professor David Swenson, showcasing two pieces he describes as “ephemeral concepts and thoughts put into concrete form.” The concrete busts are slowly being entrapped in their growths, but their peaceful appearance gives the semblance of calm in the face of danger. Swenson used the difficult wood firing method to solidify his creations, causing unique colorations on the ceramic faces.
Like Swenson, Aaron Kirchhoff’s pieces do not shy from detail and difficulty.
Kirchhoff mixed art and ecology to create highly realistic glass birds’ eggs from species either endangered or extinct. His artwork seems to recreate the delicacy of life, especially when one considers the heaviness of his work.
“The white egg in the upper right corner is from the passenger pigeon,” Faris explained. “It used to be one of the largest species in America, and it would take days for flocks to pass over by.” The bird is now extinct, reduced to a single white egg.
Artist Meghan Kirkwood also addresses life in her pieces, albeit in a different way. Kirkwood’s intimate photographic portraits portray her father navigating his identity as he ages. Wading through tall grasses while hunting, hunching over a desk in a crowded room or hefting an axe over his shoulder, Kirkwood addresses how her father’s habits have changed as he has aged.
Other artists included in the exhibition are faculty members Tim Lamey, Kimble Bromley, Kent Kapplinger, Andrew Stark, Malcolm Thompson and Michael Strand. Artists in residence Sarah Tancred and Eric Johnson also have artwork in the show.
“Students are introduced to diversity in art in this exhibition,” Faris said. “It’s an opportunity to see how artists look at the world. It also gives them a chance to view flexibility and fluidness in exploring materials in an accessible space.”
While students mainly see their professors as educators, the exhibition allows a different viewpoint, giving their talent not only as a teacher but also as an artist to flourish.
The 2016 Faculty Exhibition will be on display from Oct. 3 through Nov. 4, with a gallery reception from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Oct. 18.