Dallas College opened its annual Spring Visual Art Faculty and Staff Group Exhibitions on March 24, with each campus encompassing its own theme, with “Facets” headlining Richland Campus.
“Facets” was our attempt to incorporate as many different people onto the show,” said Melba Northum, a Richland art professor. The title “Facets,” short for multifaceted, was a way to express the range of work and diversity from the artists as the exhibit features a variety of mediums from sculptures to paintings.
During these artists’ work, they spend so much time as professors teaching their knowledge and concepts in their everyday lives. The art displayed is mostly a sampling of work they’ve curated in their own studios over the course of some time.
While each artwork shown is available for purchase at a given price, it is not the focus of the show. At its core, the exhibition has a learning agenda.
“The goal of our galleries here at Dallas College is more of an educational pursuit and to connect with students, professionals and the community around creative expression and to kind of lift up knowledge in those areas and how they can impact our lives,” said Randall Garrett, Dallas College gallery and art collection manager.
The exhibit can be used as a way to connect to the professor’s work and have students figure out if this is something they would like to do. “We want the student body to see the talent in terms of the professors and so you might be thinking, ‘Should I take an art class?,’ and then you come and see the show and you get excited about a drawing or painting or sculpture and you think ‘Wow, maybe I’ll take a class with that person and start to learn a little something’,” Northum said.
Visiting an art exhibit is not only highlighting works of professors and staff but also shines a light on what is used daily: creativity. “Art is just important to societies. It’s always been important to cultures,” said Northum. “The idea of creativity doesn’t just belong to artists but to everyone.” Being able to look at these works serves to connect to the visual arts program as a whole.
“On one level, I hope it would inspire students to take courses in the visual arts program,” said Garrett. “In a more general sense, that people would just connect with the creativity and find a way that it would inspire them in their everyday lives as well.”
Art displays are a collection of portals into an artist’s mind and experiences as they turn an idea into something tangible and visible. This is not only a way to feed your imagination and creative senses, but also a nice way to spend quality time before your next class.
Students, faculty, staff and visitors are invited to stop by the art exhibit in the Brazos Gallery located in Crockett Hall, Room C140. The exhibition runs until May 2 with a reception on April 10 from noon to 2 p.m.
