SSU Faculty and Students came together at the University Art Gallery to celebrate the opening of the SSU Faculty Art Exhibition on February 16. The show itself is a way for SSU’s art faculty to display their work outside of the classroom to students, other faculty members, as well as the general public.

Stefan Kisbye, the Department Chair for the Art & Art History Department and an Associate Professor for creative writing, sees the event as a way for the art faculty to show off their merits as artists. “For me, it’s wonderful to see colleagues as the working artists they are. They do fantastic work, and they are not only gifted teachers but acclaimed and wonderful practitioners, said Kisbye.

Carla Stone, the Art Department’s Exhibitions Coordinator, hopes that everyone, from students to faculty, as well as the general public, enjoys the opportunity to learn about the faculty’s personal art practices and displays. As for SSU students, Stone hopes that this gallery is a window for students to see what their teachers and mentors are doing outside of the classroom, and hopefully encourage them to sharpen their talents as artists and further their future careers.

“This group of faculty are all practicing artists who maintain professional careers and participate in regional and national exhibitions in addition to being committed professors in the classroom,” said Carla Stone, the Art Department’s Exhibitions Coordinator.

Sena Clara Creston, an Assistant Professor of Art, whose work is being showcased at the gallery said that she hopes that students and faculty understand what artists in their community are creating. Creston’s own work, Plantscape, is made up of discarded plastic bottles and Walmart bags.“Recent personal memories of these beautiful and destructive plastic materials exhibit how animated, materialistic, and ecological responses reflect the impact of our actions.”, said Creston.

This year’s Faculty Art Exhibition is also a very significant one, as it wasn’t just a celebration of the personal art projects of SSU faculty, but also the return of the show after a long, five-year hiatus. In previous years, this event was biennial, but the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the show being put on hold for half a decade. Years later, the show is now back on the road, and while planning for it certainly wasn’t easy, the outcome was more than worth it. There was a 12-day period between the art gallery and the gallery’s annual Art from the Heart benefit auction, and this planning process was by no means an easy one. 

As Stone explains, despite all the logistics that required cooperation and adherence to the deadlines of all the artists involved, the work would most likely have not been done in time if it wasn’t for the seven student interns working with Stone, who has been invaluable in making this event possible.“There’s a great sense of pride and accomplishment when I see the result of everyone’s efforts to produce a professional quality exhibition right here on campus,” said Stone.

Despite major setbacks and delays, SSU’s art department still managed to overcome many obstacles, and reestablish an old SSU tradition, in the hopes that others will be inspired by the work shown, and motivate them in their own artistic endeavors. The SSU Art Faculty Exhibition will be on full display from February 16 – March 12 at the University Art Gallery.