The Online Reflector

The University of Indianapolis Department of Art and Design is holding its biannual Faculty Exhibition in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center Gallery from Nov. 5 to Dec. 15.

“It is all work by the full-time, associate and adjunct faculty,” said Associate Professor of Art and Design James Viewegh.

Each faculty members work had an artist statement in which he or she discussed the pieces that were on display.

“What we all show are really the things that we teach. So the whole point of the show is to show our students what we do and what we would expect them to do,” said Art and Design Professor Dee Schaad.

The gallery presents a wide range of sculptures, paintings, photography and other more abstract forms of art.

One collective piece by Schaad is figurines depicting the faculty of the art department. He created the people and then added different things to describe their personalities.

“The more I looked at the figures and the more I studied them, the more I liked them. I really like the stories that they tell,” said occupational therapy graduate student Tricia Holmes.

The work is an extension of what each faculty member teaches in his or her speciality.

Also, their art is reminiscent of each course he or she offers.

“What we teach [students] matters because we actually utilize it,” Viewegh said. “We do what we like, what we share with other people is what we really enjoy doing.”

Some of the work displays the faculty members views on politics or other parts of the world, while other works have more personal meaning to them.

“You are seeing a high-quality exhibition of artwork,” Viewegh said. “You are really seeing people who know their medium and the techniques they’re working with.”

The work created by bees wax and color pigment was different from some of the other pieces in the gallery.

“My favorite was the wax.  It is fun and happy, but still interesting,” Holmes said.

The exhibit is a chance for students throughout campus to see that faculty members do more than just teach.

“In general, it is important for students to come over here to find what the faculty at this university does,” Schaad said.

Overall, many of the faculty provided art works within this professional exhibit.

“I do not think I would feel that comfortable if I were at a college or university where the faculty in any department did not engage in some sort of professional practice,” Schaad said.

The exhibit will remain open until Dec. 15 in the gallery of the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center.