West Liberty University presents
a mix of art created by faculty in its 2013 art faculty exhibition through Feb.
14 in the Nutting
Gallery.
Faculty participating in the exhibition include Brian Fencl, James
Haizlett, Martyna Matusiak, Moonjung Kang, Nancy Tirone, Lambros Tsuhlares,
Robert Villamagna and Neal Warren.
"This year the art faculty selected the theme of oddities," Robert
Villamagna, gallery director, said in a news release. "The dictionary defines
oddity as an odd person, thing, event or trait. Odd is an adjective denoting
the quality of being unpaired, occasional, strange or unusual, or a person who
is viewed as eccentric. In other words, the work in this show will focus on the
strange and unusual.
"The works in Oddities will cover a wide range of media including
drawing, painting, mixed media, digital, construction, photography and
installation," he explained.
"Having a new theme for the exhibition each year does a number of
things," Villamagna said. "It brings a freshness to the annual exhibition, it
challenges the members of the art faculty and it shows students how a diverse
group of artists each approach a single problem or idea, each in their own
unique way and in a variety of media."
In talking about his work for this exhibition, Fencl explained, "I used
the theme as a catalyst to revisit old ideas and work that I put away because I
either lost interest in the image or the piece wasn't successful. I approached
those pieces with the mindset of ‘What else can I add to it?' Of all of the
themes we have worked with over the last five or six years this one is the
least confining. It naturally fits my work and people's expectations of it."
James Haizlett looks forward to the annual exhibition.
"For me, the faculty show is a chance to take some risks, do some
experimenting, and generally have fun with the theme," Haizlett said. "Last
summer I bought an old mig welder and have been teaching myself how to weld.
For this show I gathered up a bunch of old used car parts and broken farm
equipment and laid them out on the floor of my barn. Then I started moving them
around and piecing them together to see if I could come up with some
interesting shapes that seemed to fit together. ‘Mechanical Bird' is the first
piece I created. The name pays homage to some of my students who formed a short-lived
company with the same name. I always liked that name, and when the metal bird
started taking shape I thought ‘Mechanical Bird' fit the piece pretty well."
Admission to the Nutting Gallery is free and open to the public. The
Gallery is open 8:30
a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays; evenings and weekends by
arrangement. For information contact Villamagna at 304-336-8370 or at rvillama@westliberty.edu.
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