New Mexico State University student artists will display their talents at three receptions for the Juried Student Show, Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition titled “Portmanteau” and Yolanda Cooper’s Master of Fine Arts exhibition titled “Life As It Is.”
Opening receptions for the Department of Art in the College of Arts and Sciences’ annual B.F.A., M.F.A. and Juried Student Show will be on Friday, April 28. The M.F.A. and Juried Student Shows receptions will be from 5-7 p.m. at the University Art Gallery in D.W. Williams Hall, in tandem with the "Almost Famous" student art sale from 4-7 p.m. The B.F.A. exhibition will be hosting a reception later that evening, from 7-9 p.m. at Wells Hall.
The Juried Student Show features a wide range of artworks created by both undergraduate and graduate students working in diverse areas of art at the NMSU main campus.
“The Juried Student Show presents a wonderful opportunity for students to demonstrate their talent and skills while engaging with the local borderland community,” said Jasmine Woodul, manager of the University Art Gallery.
Coinciding with the Juried Student show, the University Art Gallery is presenting the 2017 M.F.A. exhibition, “Yolanda Cooper: Life As It Is.” Cooper is a Master of Fine Arts student in the Department of Art. “The ‘Life As It Is’ series is comprised of painting-drawing hybrids that function as visual materializations and embodiments of the artist’s fight for her place in the present moment,” said Michelle Lanteri, interim director of the gallery. “The majority of the self-portraits are created on wood panels, which also serve as the artworks’ support.”
These panels, several of which are large scale, portray the artist’s varying conceptions of her identity during a critical stage of her life. The “Life As It Is” series documents a particular period of time when Cooper’s persistence made a large impact on her survival.
Cooper’s exhibition also inspired a new community program being presented by the gallery, “Q&A with the artist.” This new series will start with a discussion with Cooper and Lanteri from 5:30-6:15 p.m. Thursday, May 4 at the University Art Gallery. Cooper plans to provide insight to the themes, processes and intentions for “Life As It Is.”
The April 28 reception for “Portmanteau” will give audiences a chance to view a wide array of artworks by 11 graduating students from the Department of Art. The event will feature live music and refreshments. In addition, the “Portmanteau” exhibition will also be open for viewing by the public from 6-8 p.m. Friday, May 5.
“The varied media on display encompasses painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, photography, video and performance,” said Maggie Day, a senior B.F.A. candidate.
All events are free and open to the public. The University Art Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Highlighted programs that are part of the exhibit as well as admission to the gallery are free and open to the public. For more information about these events, visit https://uag.nmsu.edu/upcoming/
Voters approved General Obligation Bond C for $22.5 million dollars for renovation of D.W. Williams Hall, which currently houses the Department of Art and the University Art Gallery. However, an additional $1 million is needed to purchase furnishings and equipment to complete this state-of-the-art facility. Ammu and Rama Devasthali have pledged a $250,000 matching gift to encourage donations. To contribute to the Williams Hall renovation and have your gift matched, visit the NMSU Foundation website at http://nmsu.life/G or contact Andrea Tawney at 575-646-4917.
Information from NMSU