By | | Mississippi State University
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University’s 91 is celebrating its art department’s 50th anniversary with two spring exhibitions showcasing works by Bulldog art graduates.
“The Department of Art is proud of its history and legacy,” said MSU Professor and Art Department Head Angi Bourgeois. “Our 50th anniversary exhibitions highlight the amazing impact of a creative education on generations of artists, photographers and designers, as well as the significant cultural role the department and university have played and continue to play for the broader community through our permanent collection and exhibition program.”
On display through April 21 in the university’s Cullis Wade Depot Art Gallery, the exhibition “Statements: 50 Years of Making” features more than 120 graphic designs, paintings, drawings, photographs and ceramic and mixed media creations by 105 MSU art graduates.
Guest juror and MSU alumnus Wesley Stuckey selected works for the exhibition, which is available for viewing 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. A Mississippi native, Stuckey currently runs his own studio practice in Baltimore, Maryland, working as a designer and printmaker while also teaching at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
“This exhibition is an incredible display of recent work showing the success our alumni have had since their graduation and the impact they are making on the world,” said MSU Department of Art Gallery Director Lori Neuenfeldt. “Art grads are professional illustrators and designers, obtaining art or visual director positions in retail and marketing fields, and many attended graduate school and are now teachers and professors.”
A 50th anniversary reunion and exhibition reception will take place the evening of April 19. All MSU art alumni are welcome and encouraged to visit for more information.
Open through March 4 at the Colvard Student Union Art Gallery, the exhibition “Collect 50: Celebrating 50 Years of Collecting in the Department of Art” showcases more than 20 pieces of art by former students and current and former faculty, as well as purchased pieces and donated works.
With items dating from 1970 through 2010, “Collect 50” highlights the diverse styles and media found in the department’s collection. Visitors are welcome from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, to see works by Jane Abrams, Marion L. Brown, Ken Clifford, Katherine Holmes, and a photograph by Arthur Leonard Farley, who served as art department head for many years.
Neuenfeldt said Farley’s most recognizable work is the bronze Bulldog sculpture that was installed in 1970 on the north side of the Colvard Student Union. Additionally, MSU’s Cobb Institute of Archaeology features stone and marble relief panels of prehistoric designs replicated by Farley in 1973.
For more about the Department of Art’s 50th anniversary and related events, contact Lori Neuenfeldt at 662-325-2970 or LNeuenfeldt@caad.msstate.edu.
MSU’s art department is home to the Magnolia State’s largest undergraduate studio art program, offering a bachelor’s degree with concentrations in ceramics, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture. Learn more at and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @CAADatMSU.
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