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WCU Art Opening at Carolina Gallery
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2018/04 - April
From the heart of the western mountains to the historic coastal plain, the Carolina experience is as rich and varied as the cultures and people that call North Carolina home.
Students and faculty of Western Carolina University School of Art and Design mine that magic in their exhibition of exquisite contemporary pieces. In partnership with The Carolina Gallery of Highlands, the work will be unveiled Saturday, April 14, 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
Art Department Director Dr. Erin Tapley says, “This exhibition will reflect the breadth and depth of art-making expertise for which WCU and its state-of-the-art studios are renowned.”
Currently, WCU awards BA/BFA degrees in Studio Art (with emphases in Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Sculpture, Ceramics and Photography), Art Education, Interior Design, and
Graphic Communication.
Over the course of six decades, Art and Design has evolved into a School, which for the past 10 years has been an integral part of WCU’s College of Fine and Performing Arts. Currently it claims upwards of 300 majors, 13 full-time faculty, 21 part-time faculty, and 20 graduate students. WCU is one of three North Carolina universities chosen to offer a Master of Fine Arts degree.
Among those showing at Carolina Gallery is Martha Neave, MFA candidate and public school teacher. She’s been published in “The New Mosaic” by D.T Dawson and is the illustrator in “Tapestry,” a novel by Hunter D. Darden. Having a fascination for math and science, her submission is based on the ingenious theories of mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot.
Faculty member Matt Liddle was practically born in a studio. His mother was a gallery director, so it’s no great surprise that art is his first language. He was drawn to printmaking in high school. That evolved into a graduate degree in book arts. His submission is a reduction woodcut printed from ice cream spoons. Matt believes art that makes his audience smile is successful art.
Darrian Barnette is a senior art education major from Charlotte, North Carolina, who has been making art since she was young. She enjoys painting smooth tonality oils and has been greatly encouraged by her mentor, Associate Professor Ron Laboray. She’s particularly fond of familiar scenes as well as more provocative social realism.
Please read the companion article about Carolina Gallery’s collaboration with Western Carolina University on page 37. For more information about the opening, call (828) 526-3705 or visit carolinagallery.art.
