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Posted on November 3, 2012 by art history faculty Department, News and Events, Website

Study in China with Truman State

Poster Design: Prof. Ping Xu

There are yet more opportunities to explore China with Truman State University. This time, it's through a study abroad trip to China this coming summer, led by three Truman faculty members, one of whom is Prof. Ping Xu (Visual Communications). Lots more information appears on Prof. Xu's poster above. Or, interested students can attend an information meeting which will be held in McClain Hall, Rm. 306 on November 6, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. More information is also available through the Visual Communications website here or through the School of Business website here.

Leave a comment Posted on November 1, 2012 by Russell Nelson Department, Website

Sewing in the Fibers Studio

The Fibers studio at TSU is equipped with a dozen Janome sewing machines for students to use on projects. This week, students in Fibers 1 began learning the basics of machine sewing, using fabric that was hand-dyed using Fiber Reactive Dyes. The rest of the semester will be focused on sewing construction methods, textural surface sewing, and sewing dimensional forms.

Hand-dyed range of cotton fabric

Posted on October 17, 2012 by art history faculty Art History, Department, Faculty Scholarship and Creative Work, News and Events, Website

The China Trade

Photo Credits: Sara Orel
In the side gallery from October 16^th to November 16^th is the exhibition “The China Trade: Qing Dynasty export porcelain from Missouri Collections.” This show, curated by Dr. Sara Orel (Art History) includes objects from the 1640s through the late Qing Dynasty, about 1900. Several pieces are traditional underglaze blue and white from the kilns at Jingdezhen, in southern China, and others are enameled porcelain (of famille verte and famille rose, or green family and pink family, respectively). Several items come from shipwrecks in Southeast Asian seas, representing trade with England , the Netherlands, and Batavia, now known as Jakarta, in Indonesia. Highlights of the exhibit include a large famille rose charger painted with carp and water plants and several pieces painted with European-commissioned imagery. Several local people have loaned objects to the exhibit, as has Elizabeth Porter, who sells porcelain at her antique store in London, United Kingdom.

Posted on October 15, 2012 by art history faculty Art History, Department, Faculty Scholarship and Creative Work, News and Events, Website

China in Kirksville! (and Gallery receptions!)

Careful readers of the Art Department blog will know that this Fall is a great time to explore China right here in Kirksville! Last month, the University Art Gallery featured a retrospective exhibition of Lampo Leong's artwork, and our own Prof. Wynne Wilbur spent the month in Jingdezhen studying porcelain.

This week, two exciting new exhibitions open that feature in whole or in part work from China.

The first of those exhibitions, entitled "Cross Connections 2012" has been curated, in part, by our own Prof. Ping Xu (Visual Communications). The exhibition is an international exchange event that presents a significant overview of international graphic design trends, featuring work by faculty and student, from eight institutions that are making their mark in graphic design within their respective countries.

The eight universities are: The University of Texas-Arlington; The University of Texas-Pan American; Truman State University; China Central Academy of Fine Arts; China Luxun Academy of Fine Arts; Shanghai University; Sint-Lucas Ghent Belgium; National School of Fine Arts Mexico.

The exhibition will be held at UTA's Dallas-Fort Worth campus, UTPA's Edinburg campus, Truman State's Kirksville campus, CAFA's Beijing campus, LAFA's Dalian campus, Shanghai University's main campus, Sint-Lucas's Ghent campus, and ENAP's Mexico City campus.

In addition, "The China Trade", curated by Dr. Sara Orel (Art History) will open in the Spotlight Gallery–stay tuned for more information on that exciting show.

The Opening Reception for both exhibitions will be Tuesday, October 16 at 6:00 p.m. in the Gallery (OP 1114); as always, this Gallery opening is free and open to the public. Hope to see you there!

Posted on October 8, 2012 by art history faculty Department, Faculty Scholarship and Creative Work, News and Events, Website

Prof. Wilbur on Sabbatical Leave

Prof. Wynne Wilbur (Ceramics) is on sabbatical leave for the 2012-2013 school year. She just completed an artist's residency in Jingdezhen, China during the month of September, where she worked with the porcelain materials that are historically associated with this community in China. After her return, she will be a featured artist at the Kansas Artist-Craftsman Association yearly meeting, and will be showing her work at the Quincy Arts Center in the spring. She also shared with us these great pictures of her in China!

Careful readers of the blog will know that this semester is a great time to explore China with the Art Department. The Gallery is just finishing a month-long retrospective of Lampo Leong's work; furthermore, on Tuesday, October 16 two exhibitions featuring work from China will both open in the Gallery ("Connections: Design and Illustration From Art Schools Around the World", and "The China Trade"). Stay tuned here and to the Gallery blog for more information about those great shows!

Leave a comment Posted on October 5, 2012 by Russell Nelson Department, Website

Basketry Techniques in the Fibers Studio

image from http://featherfiles.aviary.com/2012-10-01/f77694d11/a93357c3b4b04ed2888503c1e6e106ee_hires.png

Fibers Students Creating Knotless Netting with Plastic Bags

Students in Fibers 1 have been exploring recycling materials
into basketry forms. Last week they
learned how to do plaiting with newspaper, and this week are doing a knotless
netting technique with plastic bags that have been turned into “plarn”.

Knotless Netting Samples with Plastic Bags

Plaiting with Newspaper

After learning four traditional basketry techniques of
plaiting, netting, coiling, and twining, each student will create a sculptural
project that utilizes one of these techniques.
Stay tuned for images of finished projects in a few weeks!

Knotless Netting in Progress

Posted on October 3, 2012 by art history faculty Department, News and Events, Proficiency, Website

Proficiency portfolios this week!

Photo Credit: Kelsey Wiskirchen

The walls of the Art wing of Ophelia Parrish (OP) this week are full of portfolios being displayed by students who have completed the four courses that make up the Foundations program in Art at Truman. Students who have completed Drawing I and II and Design I and II submit five pieces, one from each course, and then a "fifth piece" of their choice that can have come from any of those courses. Students also submit an Artist Statement to accompany their portfolio. During this week, Art faculty members will be reviewing the portfolios and meeting with students to discuss how students are doing. The portfolios will be up until Friday of this week, so stop by to see some of the great work on display!

Posted on October 1, 2012 by art history faculty Department, Faculty Scholarship and Creative Work, News and Events, Website

Reception and gallery talk by Prof. Wiskirchen!

We hope to see everyone on Tuesday, October 2, 6:00 p.m. in the University Art Gallery (OP 1114) for a gallery talk by and reception for Prof. Kelsey Wiskirchen. The events will be held in connection with the exhibition Handed On: New Works by Kelsey Viola Wiskirchen in the Side Gallery. That exhibition, as well as the Lampo Leong retrospective, will close this Friday, October 5, so if you haven't been by the Gallery, do stop in before Saturday!

Stay tuned to this blog and to the University Art Gallery blog for information about what will be coming up next in the Gallery!

Posted on September 23, 2012 by art history faculty Art History, Department, News and Events, Website

Alumnus hired at Portland Art Museum

Mike Murawski teaching in the St. Louis Art Museum

Heartiest congratulations to Art Department alumnus Dr. Mike Murawski (BA Art History 1999) who has just beed hired as the Director of Education & Public Programs at the Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon. Since graduating from Truman, Dr. Murawski earned a PhD in Education from American University in Washington D.C. and returned to the St. Louis area for positions first at the Mildred Lane Kemper Museum at Washington University and then was hired as Director of School Services at the St. Louis Art Museum. While at SLAM, Dr. Murawski developed a popular Museum Education internship, in which a number Truman Art History majors have participated; in addition, Truman students have been often hosted at SLAM by Dr. Murawski, and have benefitted from campus lectures by both him and his wife, Prof. Bryna Campbell who is a PhD candidate in Art History at Washington University in St. Louis working on early twentieth-century American art. We will miss having Mike, Bryna, and their family so close by but send them all good wishes as they make this exciting move!

Posted on September 19, 2012 by art history faculty Department, Faculty Scholarship and Creative Work, News and Events, Website

Prof. Derezinski show!

Congratulations to Prof. Matt Derezinski (Visual Communication) who will have a solo show at Kishwaukee College in Malta, Illinois. The exhibition will be called "thoughts of perception" and will include the two works pictured here ("Hidden Garden" above, and "Choices 2" below). Congratulations!

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