Hart Open Studio Event and Selected Student Work Exhibits to feature the Best of Husson Student Art, Photography, and Graphic Design
Published on: April 30, 2018
BANGOR, MAINE - Husson University announced today that it will be showcasing the creative talents of students at two simultaneous exhibitions on May 1, 2018 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on their Bangor campus.
The first will be an exhibition of “Selected Student Work in Fine Arts” in the Robert E. White Gallery. The gallery is located in Peabody Hall on Husson’s campus at 1 College Circle in Bangor, Maine. It is immediately adjacent to the G. Peirce Webber Campus Center. The exhibition will feature some of the best student work in traditional, mixed and digital media produced during the academic year.
Kathi J. Smith, the Robert E. White Gallery coordinator and an assistant professor of art at Husson University, installed the exhibition. “This show will hang through graduation and the summer, so prospective students and parents can enjoy it. The artworks chosen for this show are initially submitted by instructors in arts-based courses here at Husson. They are clear demonstrations of the technical quality and creative excellence students bring to their assignments and projects.”
This year, Smith invited colleagues from different disciplines to jury the exhibition. They selected the “Best in Show” in three different categories: traditional media (drawing, painting, sculpture, and printmaking); digital media (photography and graphic works); and mixed media (a combination of different mediums).
The jurors included Dr. Conrad Dhing, an assistant dean of student academic affairs at Husson University’s School of Pharmacy; Dr. Robert Duron, an associate professor at Husson’s School of Accounting; and Dr. Laurie Mouradian, the chair of the School of Occupational Therapy at Husson University.
Winning “Best in Show” in the traditional media category was Hannah Jordan of Lisbon Falls, Maine for her watercolor, “After Winslow Homer.” The digital media category winner was Ani Inman of Albany, Maine for her untitled photograph while Ty Bassett of Dracut, Massachusetts, won “Best in Show” in the mixed media category for his collage “After Picasso’s Girl and Mirror.”
Each category winner received a gift certificate to the art supply store A.C. Moore, courtesy of the Husson University Art & Design Club.
Creative works at this exhibition were developed in conjunction with the following courses: IS 455 Presentation Practices and Exhibition, (an independent project by Zac Wells); FA 101 Art and the Human Experience; FA 205 Painting 1; FA 125 Art for Children; FA 120 Drawing 1; FA 110 Photography 1; FA 210 Pastel Painting; MC 329 Digital Illustration; and MC 335 Graphic Design II.
While “Selected Student Work in Fine Arts” is taking place at the Robert E. White Gallery, there will be a second exhibition of student work at the Hart Open Studio event in the basement of Hart Hall. A wide variety of creative mediums will be represented as part of this showcase. Student drawings, paintings, pastels, photography, graphic design, set design, computer aided drafting, digital illustration, collages, assemblages, and batik prints will be on display.
This exhibition will also showcase exemplary student work from Husson University’s College of Science and Humanities and the New England School of Communications.
Creative works on exhibit were contributed by students enrolled in the following courses: CT 245 Photography I; CT 345 Photography II; EP 441 Design and Technical Practicum; EP 448; Final Portfolio Review; FA 101 Art and the Human Experience; FA 110 Photography; FA 120 Drawing I; FA 125 Art for Children; FA 205 Painting I; FA 210 Pastel Painting; FA 299 Creating with Art; MC 245 Graphic Design; and MC 335 Graphic Design II.
Both exhibitions are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served at each location from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Assistant Professor Smith organized both of these exhibitions. She joined Husson University in 2014 and has over 15 years of art education experience. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and drawing, with a minor in art history from the University of Southern Maine. Smith also has a Master of Fine Arts in painting from the University of New Hampshire.
Prior to joining Husson University, Smith taught at Plymouth State University where she received their Distinguished Teaching Lecturer Award. Over the past four years, she has participated in many regional and national exhibitions, and five prestigious residencies. She received a full fellowship supported by the Joan Mitchell Foundation to attend the Vermont Studio Center and has been a fellow and artist-in-residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Weir Farm National Historic Site in Connecticut, and the Heliker-LaHotan Foundation in Maine. In the summer of 2014, she participated in a seven-week artist-in-residency program in Brittany, France, sponsored by Maryland Institute College of Art. The July 2013 edition of Artscope Magazine ran a feature on her called “Kathi Smith’s New England.”
She exhibits her work regularly in Maine, New York, and New Hampshire and maintains a working studio in Bangor, Maine. Smith practices primarily in the arena of painting and drawing, though she also worked in ceramics, printmaking, and other mediums.
“These exhibitions are designed to give students an opportunity to share their work with the public. They’re also an opportunity to highlight some of the exceptionally talented students at Husson University,” said Smith. “Exhibitions are a valuable part of the art educational experience. They serve as venues where students can exchange creative ideas with their peers and receive feedback from others.”
“We are delighted to share these select student artworks with the Husson University community,” concluded Smith. “They represent the finest examples of student work from our various creative disciplines.”
For more than 100 years, Husson University has prepared future leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow through innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson University has come to represent superior value in higher education. Our Bangor campus and off-campus satellite education centers in Southern Maine, Wells, and Northern Maine provide advanced knowledge in business; health and education; pharmacy studies, science and humanities; as well as communication. In addition, Husson University has a robust adult learning program. For more information about educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit Husson.edu.