Museum of Fine Arts full of artistic talent

The Museum of Fine Arts is definitely the place to be. This quaint white house on the corner of South Columbia and Hancock streets is an inspirational place for budding artists. Upon entering the museum, one will find a beautifully restored home that displays three very unique collections of artwork created by alumni and faculty.

The new Dean of Arts and Sciences, Kenneth Procter, created the first showcase which is a thought-provoking series of art inspired by Ranier Maria Rilke’s poem “The Duino Elegies.” Each charcoal sketch depicts battlefield and dark forest images that were inspired by certain verses from the poem.

Procter started the project in the summer of 2001 and felt that it would be particularly potent after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that year. He first envisioned that the project would only consist of 10 art pieces, but Procter was so thrown into his work that the collection grew to almost 30 works of art. The series was completed in January 2005 and is now available for the whole campus to enjoy.

In the adjacent room, there is a collaboration of work that is equally compelling from the late Carol Chaklos, who was a student and senior administrative secretary at the university. Chaklos was an inspirational person because she managed to complete her coursework after surviving a car accident in 2003 that paralyzed her. The artwork from her senior showcase displays her gentle spirit with paintings of ballet dancers and large cross-stitched pieces.

Although she passed away due to complications from her injuries, Chaklos was given an honorary degree posthumously in 2007 and also this tribute to her work.

The three remaining rooms in the house are dedicated to the artwork of GCSU’s alumni. There is a smattering of still-life paintings

and architectural sketches ranging from the 1950s to the 2000s, not to mention a lot of interesting modern art from the 1960-70s. All together the work is very eclectic, but each piece meshes with the others because they collectively represent almost 60 years of art that was inspired right here on campus.

The art department is supporting the art exhibit.

Assistant professor of Art Carlos Herrera is particularly excited about this show.

“By letting the students have access to this building and by allowing them to see and study the art, it creates much more scholarship than reading from a textbook can,” Herrera said.

He encourages not only the general public to see the exhibit, but art students as well because they can come to study the techniques of others and apply it to their own work. Herrera said that the art show will be viewable from Mondays through Fridays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. through November.

In November, the art department plans to reveal GCSU’s permanent art collection, which includes a Joan Miro print and two by Salvador Dali.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 25 2009. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry