University Star

Tables will turn on Wednesday for the School of Art and Design as students dive into the minds of their own instructors at this year’s annual Faculty Exhibition.

The exhibition’s opening reception will take place in the Joann Cole Mitte Art Building on Wednesday at 5 p.m., and the exhibit will remain open until Feb. 2 to all Texas State students and faculty.

Unlike other similar events, the Faculty Exhibition offers the opportunity for students to connect with their instructors outside of the classroom. Gallery Director Mary Mikel Stump sees this as one of the exhibit’s key benefits.

“It builds confidence in our students to see that their faculties are accomplished,” Stump said. “It’s also an opportunity for our faculty to see how their colleagues work.”

Jeff Dell, associate professor in the School of Art and Design, has shown work at the exhibition for more than 12 years. He believes the exhibit brings him to an equal level with his students.

“The faculty is just another person aspiring to be an artist,” Dell said.

Liz Rodda, assistant professor and newcomer to both the university and the exhibit, shared Dell’s take on the event, despite this being her first semester showing work alongside her colleagues.

“We’re doing the same thing (the students) are,” Rodda said. “Students may regularly see us as teachers, but like them, we’re making and showing art as well.” For her first time featured in the exhibition, Rodda was not at all hesitant to participate.

“I held a solo exhibition back in August, so I feel comfortable that students and faculty are familiar enough with my work,” Rodda said.

Rodda believes the exhibit is beneficial because it gives students a chance to experience a variety of art while offering the chance for them to replicate their teachers’ current work.

Dell described the exhibit as a way to take in a brief sample of each faculty member’s work because participants usually submit one piece from their collection for display.

“Considering the audience, the only thought process I go through in choosing is asking, ‘What would I not get a chance to show them otherwise?’” Dell said.

The exhibition is one that affects both faculty and students alike, but it is open to everyone. The exhibition offers the chance for all to get behind and around the minds of the school’s art and design faculty members.

“What I love is that the exhibition is similar each year because it’s the same people, but it’s also different,” Stump said. “The faculty’s techniques, works and motivations evolve, and it’s exciting to see that each year.”