Department of Art & Design showcases student work in latest exhibition
By Ann Gosser | Oct 13, 2023
MURRAY, Ky. – The Murray State University Department of Art & Design and University Galleries are pleased to present the Professional Blend XV, an exhibition of student work, on view through Oct. 31 in the Mary Ed Mecoy Hall Gallery on the sixth floor of the Doyle Price Fine Arts Building located on Murray State’s campus.
Professional Blend XV features a variety of mediums and combines artworks created by Art & Design students currently enrolled in the Art 399 Professional Practices course. Installing this exhibit is an experiential activity for the students, is designed to encompass all that they are learning in their other courses, and amplifies their learning experience at Murray State. The students arrange the layout of the artworks and install the exhibit together to create a public display of their combined efforts. The exhibition features original artwork created by Quinn Derkacy, Wesley Hammer, Teresa Hill, Catrena Kovaloski, Jamie Myers, Michael Ridenour, Amber Ryan and Thomas Townsend.
The Art 399 Professional Practices in Art course is designed to explore the materials, skills, qualifications and strategies necessary for students to begin and sustain a career in art and design. The course orients students around the skill sets they have acquired through their studies. Students engage in experiences and exercises that equip them with an understanding about developing a professional portfolio that includes an articulate artist/design statement, developed resume, artist/design bio, press release, cover letters and documentation of their creative work. This is a sampling of the assignments given in this course and incorporating the student directed group experiential activity of presenting this exhibition of their work amplifies the learning experiences in the course and directly connects those assignments to their studio practice.
“I am grateful for the continued support of the Art & Design faculty and staff. I would like to thank the exhibiting students for loaning their works for this show and recognize the students for their effort on the layout, design, and installation of this exhibition,” said T. Michael Martin, associate professor of art and director of University Galleries. “I also acknowledge the gallery student worker team, Beth Bailey, Isa Bolanos, Dawn Critser, Caitlyn Cooper, Alexus Devaul, Taylor Doerhoefer, Wesley Hammer, Cheyenne Pender, Alissa Redding, Eve Sexton, and Journey Williamson for their assistance with this exhibition and for supporting the ongoing educational mission of the University Galleries.”
The University Galleries visitor hours for fall 2023 are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Admission to the galleries is free and open to the public. For more information about the Department of Art & Design, visit murraystate.edu/art or follow them on Instagram at instagram.com/murraystateart.