The FMU Faculty and Student Juried Exhibition was on display, featuring art from FMU students and staff at the Steven F. Gately Gallery from Nov. 2 through Dec. 15.
Students submitted their artwork to be juried by local Hartsville artists Roger Halligan and Jan Chenoweth, who own Chenoweth-Halligan Studios in Lake City, SC. FMU staff also submitted their artwork to be displayed in the gallery.
The winners of this year’s exhibition were Axel Shannon in first place with “Man with Paint,” Maria Tassios in second place with “Friday Night Mexican,” Sam Wachter in third place with “Boy Soldier” and Jakayla Johnson with an honorable mention. Winners received monetary prizes ranging from $500 to $100.
Art pieces from staff members included works from FMU professors Gregory Fry, Brittany Gilbert, EunJung Chang, Elizabeth Graham Anderson, Charles Jeffcoat, Delaney Me-Sun Shin and Doug Gray. The featured staff members each accompanied their work with an artist biography and statement.
Art from assistant professor of visual arts Brittany Gilbert was one of the many staff artists featured in the exhibit this year. Her two featured series were chosen to give viewers a glimpse into what she was working on before her time at FMU. Each piece was created to encourage viewers to slow down and look at what they see.
“I want to evoke curiosity in the world around us and urge people to explore and consider what it means to be familiar with something,” Gilbert said.
Art submitted to the exhibit could range from any medium, such as paintings, photographs, sculptures, videos, or even textile arts. This year, featured art included paintings, sculptures, photographs and collages.
Eva Knight, sophomore art major, had two pieces of art, one hand-drawn with pen and paper and the other drawn digitally, featured in the exhibit.
“‘Sprouting from the Clouds’ was created as a first project for my sophomore year as an art major,” Knight said. “This was created in the mindset of a competition, so I knew I wanted to draw some sort of dragon and I’m super happy with how it turned out.”
FMU’s visual arts department hosts the Faculty and Student Juried Exhibition each year and continues to feature works from art students and, this year, art from visual arts professors.
“In addition to teaching, the visual art faculty also maintains artistic practices that include various approaches to making art,” Julie Mixon, associate professor of photography, said. “We all exhibit our work in other galleries and participate in other exhibits as well.”
The Steven F. Gately Gallery is located in downtown Florence in the FMU University Place and is host to numerous art exhibits each year. From Jan. 16 through Mar. 7, the gallery will host Myles Calvert and Tamara LaValla’s “Want More” exhibition.
Students interested in participating in the next Faculty and Student Juried Exhibition can find more information by contacting Mixon. Gilbert and her art can be found on her website and on her Instagram: @BrittanyRGilbert_Artist. More information about art at the Steven F. Gately Gallery can be found on the FMU website or by contacting gallery coordinator Dawn Fenimore.