The Biennial Faculty Exhibition, sponsored by Missouri State University’s Department of Art and Design, will be on display 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 4-Nov. 1 at the Brick City Gallery. The Exhibition Center will be closed Oct. 10-11 during MSU’s Fall Break.

Held every two years, the exhibition features a wide range of media and techniques. The artwork reflects the perspectives MSU’s art and design faculty bring to their diverse and innovative work. Visitors can view works that engage personal stories, reflections on the past, spirituality, environmental themes and much more.

“Students see their professors as active professionals, and so their points of view in the classroom take on a different significance,” said Vonda Yarberry, art and design department head. “Seeing works by professors in different disciplines [that] address similar topics deepens students’ awareness about multiple approaches to content and inspires students to try new things.”

The department’s gallery programming also strives to show students different approaches to professional art and design practice, which are highlighted in the numerous other exhibits offered throughout the year.

Exhibit highlights interplay between teaching and creativity

The Biennial Faculty Exhibition is a must-see for anyone interested in contemporary art and the dynamic interplay between teaching and creative exploration.

Among the faculty members featured this year is Kerra Taylor, who teaches painting. Taylor said her work often explores themes of family and self-reflection. Her piece, “Celebrating Another Year,” portrays “objects that are as valuable and as fragile as my memories.”

Another featured faculty member, Sarah Williams, also teaches painting. She explained that her work responds to her “rural upbringing in north central Missouri [and] the structures that represent the history and memory of that place.”

Also featured in this year’s exhibition is Dr. Steven Willis. Willis said he draws inspiration from his “indigenous knowledge, Native American practices and spirituality.” In addition, his work represents “portals and prisons; issues of insideness and outsideness and upside-downness that are interwoven into perceptions.”

“Beyond the educational impact, the exhibit includes work by artists and designers who are actively showing their work at the national and international levels,” Yarberry explained. “[This] also expands the opportunity for the community to see and experience their work.”

Featured faculty artists

Josh Albers
Deidre Argyle
Dr. Fatih Benzer
Rick Briggenhorst
Megan Frauenhoffer
Maria N. Gerasimchuk-Djordjevic
Kevin Hughes
Tahsin Hyder
Colby Jennings
Sean Lyman
Chris Rodgers
Jina Seo
Kerra Taylor
Gwen Walstrand
Sarah Williams
Dr. Steven Willis

The Brick City Gallery, located at 215 W. Mill St, Springfield, MO 65806, is open Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. For more details call 417-836-2330.

News written by Sam Barnette and edited by the Reynolds College Communications Team.

Barnette is a writer for the Department of Art and Design. She earned an MFA in Dramatic Writing from Missouri State’s Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film. She is now working toward an MS in Data Science and Analytic Storytelling at Truman State University.