In the Gallery and Department This Week!

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Photos above and below show the Lori Nix exhibition in the side gallery.  Photo Credit:  Aaron Fine.

Once again, it's a very busy week in the Art Department and the University Art Gallery!

A number of events will be held in connection with the current exhibitions in the Unviersity Art Gallery.  In the main gallery "Apocalyptic:  artwork, poetry, and thought about the end" features contemporary art from around the world.  That show was curated by Prof. Aaron Fine (Studio Art;  University Art Gallery Director) and Dr. Bob Mielke (English & Linguistics).  In the side gallery "Lori Nix:  Post-Apocalyptic" is a solo show of work by Truman State University alumna Lori Nix who is now actively working in New York.

Special events this week in connection with those two shows include:

Monday, January 27, 6:30 p.m., OP 2111:  presentation by Lori Nix.

Tuesday, January 28, 6:00 p.m., OP 1114 (University Art Gallery):  Opening Reception

As always, University Art Gallery events are free and open to the public.  Hope to see you there!

In addition to these events in the Gallery, senior Visual Communications major Andy Doering will be giving a talk on Monday, January 27 at 7:00 p.m. in OP 2210.  Mr. Doering will be talking about being a Viscom major as well as what he has learned both at Truman, and through in internships and working as a freelance designer. Hope to see you there as well!

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Art Department events this week!

We have a busy upcoming week this week–also the last week of classes–in the Art Department.  We hope that everyone can join us for some or all of these events!

Tuesday, December 3                                                         

Art History Out-of-the-Classroom Experience Presentations

All Art History majors are required, sometime during their time at Truman, to gain valuable experience outside the classroom.  Three Art History majors, Paige Allinson, Danielle Bell, and Grace Billimack, will be presenting their experiences on Tuesday.

6:00 p.m., OP 2115

Studio Art Exhibition Opening

Two Studio students, Emily VanGelder and Daniel Riekena, will have work for their Studio Art Capstone on display this week in the University Art Gallery with an opening reception Tuesday evening.

6:00 p.m., University Art Gallery (OP 1114)

Thursday, December 5                                                        

Exhibition Reception

A reception for students exhibiting work from Prof. Aaron Fine's advanced painting and drawing classes will be held.

4:30 p.m., KB Gym

Presentation of Graduate Research

Mayda Bell, Toni Brister, Emily Frierdrich, and Andrea Linskey will present graduate research.

7:00 p.m., OP 2210

As always, all Department events are free and open to the public!  We hope to see you there.

 

Truman Ranked #3 by Washington Monthly

Good news from Truman Today:

Truman State University has again been named one of America’s best colleges by a national publication.
 
Truman  is No. 3 in the Best Master’s University category of the 2013 Washington Monthly College Rankings. Truman is the only Missouri school listed in the top 75, and the only public Missouri school on the entire Top 100 Master’s Universities list.

Washington Monthly bases its rankings on three criteria: social mobility, which gives colleges credit for enrolling low-income students and helping them earn degrees; research production, with particular emphasis on schools where undergraduates eventually earn Ph.D.s; and commitment to service. More information about the rankings can be found here.

In addition to the Washington Monthly, The Princeton Review listed Truman as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education. The education services company has again featured Truman in its annual college guide, “The Best 378 Colleges.” Only about 15 percent of America’s four-year colleges are profiled in the 2014 edition.

Art History Student Interns at the St. Louis Art Museum

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Photo Credit:  Emily Hagen

Art Department senior Emily Hagen (Art History) received a competitive Curatorial Internship this past summer to work at the St. Louis Art Museum and shared the following about her experiences.

During the internship Emiliy worked one-on-one with the American Art curator, a Truman alum, to conduct research for potential exhibitions, reframe works, and compile a bibliography on a sculpture in the permanent collection.

In addition, the end of June saw the opening of the expansion of the museum. SLAM revealed its new contemporary wing designed by architect David Chipperfield (shown below). Interns were also granted an inside look at the events leading to, and following, the grand opening.

Finally, interns participated in a conceptual art piece by Yoko Ono, called the Wish Tree (shown above). They worked with the Contemporary Art curator to collect and bundle wishes.

Private gallery tours led by curators allowed interns to ask questions and learn from successful art professionals and sessions with other departments, including education, development, and registrar gave an insight into the functions and careers within the museum.

Emily wrote of the experience: "I am endlessly grateful for the opportunity to work as an intern at the St. Louis Art Museum. My experience enlivened my passion for art and has confirmed my desire to work in the art world after graduation."

Congratulations Emily! Students interested in applying for one of these internships should check the St. Louis Art Museum website later this year.

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Visiting Speaker: Bruce Scherting–Exhibition Design

Truman State University Art Department Visiting Speaker Bruce Scherting will give a talk this Thursday, October 24 at 4:30 p.m. in OP 2210.

Prof. Scherting is currently Exhibits Director at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center where he works in Exhibit Design, Collaboration, and Interpretation, and teaches classes in Museum Studies.  Previously, he worked for the University of Iowa Natural History Museum as an exhibition designer and developer, and has also worked at the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.  He holds a BS from Eastern Montana College and an MFA from Southern Illinois University.

In addition to giving a public talk, Prof. Scherting will also be working with students in Dr. Sara Orel's ART 428 Topics in Art History:  Museums and Collecting course, as well as with other students and classes around campus.

We hope to see you at some of these great events!

Art Alumna in Africa!

 
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Art Department alumna Jaime Chambers (Art History) has been working for the past year as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa (Malawi).  She has been doing remarkable work there, and most recently has been focusing on raising funds for a science lab for the school at which she teaches.

Jaime kindly sent us these photographs, including the one above of her speaking at the home of the United States Ambassador in Malawi. The pictures below include images of residents in the village where Jaime lives making bricks for the science lab project.

You can follow Jaime's blog here;  it includes beautiful writing about her experiences and life in Africa and information about how to contact her if you wish to know more about her project.  Congratulations, Jaime!

If you are an alum and have news to share, we'd love to hear from you!  Please contact us at art@truman.edu.

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Art students to present at TruScholars Symposium

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Mamie Cox in front of the National Museum of the American Indian.  As part of her research on James McNeill Whistler, Mamie traveled to the Smithsonian Instition in Washington D.C. to see paintings and prints by the American artist, as well as to work with archival documents.

Two Art majors, Mamie Cox (Art History) and Emma Roeder (Studio) were selected through a very competitive process to participate in the TruScholars Undergraduate Research Program during Summer 2013.  Both will be presenting the results of research and creative work at the TruScholars Symposium on Saturday, August 24th in the Georgian Room, Student Union Building (SUB) on Truman's campus.

Emma
Roeder
(Studio)

"Art
& Craft:  The Debate Explored Through Textiles"

in the
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon session

 

Mamie
Cox
(Art History)

"The
Self Fashioning of James McNeill Whistler"

in the
2:00 – 3:15 p.m. session

There will also be closing reception at 4:30 p.m. in the OP South
Atrium, at which Emma Roeder’s work will be on display as well. 

If you are a student who might be interested in next summer's program, please check here: http://osr.truman.edu/TruScholars/description.asp 
Applications are usually due in late January/early February for the immediately
following summer.

Congratulations to both Emma and Mamie on great work!

First Day of Classes!

Classes for the 2013-14 academic year begin on Thursday, August 22nd for students and faculty across campus.  We are so happy to have everyone back and look forward to a great year ahead.  Stay tuned to the blog to keep up on events this coming academic year in the Art Department and beyond.

Good luck each and all and best wishes for a great year!

Truman Week going strong!

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Truman Week classes in the Art Department this week have been going strong as first-year Art students settle into life in college.  We are excited that two Truman Week sections of our new Art Studio Foundations I course are being offered.  Yesterday, Prof. Priya Kambli (Photo) took her class to the Forest-Llewellyn Cemetery in Kirksville which contains graves of Civil War soldiers, Andrew T. Still (founder of osteopathy), and other notable Kirksville citizens.  The students drew and explored, and Prof. Kambli shared these great photos with us!

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Welcome, First-Year Students!

 
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The Art Department sends a special welcome to all first-year Art majors!  Freshmen arrived on campus this past Saturday, August 17th to move into the dorms and start settling into life at Truman.  They also start Truman Week classes, some of which will be in the Art Department.  We look forward to welcoming them all at Majors Day on Tuesday of this week and in their full schedule of classes starting on Thursday.

Welcome, all, and best wishes for the year to come!