Alumni Artists Return to UWG

UWG is currently hosting the Sixth Biennial Alumni Art Exhibition, which showcases the talents of former student artists and will be open to the public until Sept. 26.  

The university has four galleries on campus administered by the Department of Art, all located in the Bobick Gallery in the university’s Humanities building. Stephanie Smith, the art gallery director, has devoted a lot of time to make sure that the exhibit is a successful one.  

The exhibit was made to give alumni artists a place to network with other local artists and other students and occurs every two years. There is exceptional quality in the work of each artist in the gallery. There are exactly 49 artists showcased in the exhibit which allows for variety in each piece.  

The top pieces to look for include some talented artists, such as Tiffany Hilton’s “Entanglement” Watercolor and Ink Drawing, Jessica Hill’s mixed media tapestry “Black Mermaids, Black Unicorns: Unrepressed Dreams of a Gullah Girl”, Melissa Crawford’s oil painting “My Children by the Creek”, Jimmy Rhea’s sculpture “Bridge over shit creek” and Jasmine Williams’ woodcut ”Down”. 

Each of these artists have won awards because they think outside the box and have great regard to detail. No two pieces have ever been the same and that has added to the quality of the content on display. The Department of Art hopes that students will make time to take advantage until its last showing day, Sep. 26th. 

“We hope they see the breadth and quality of the work and talent that was originally nurtured at UWG. To celebrate the success of our alumni, and show the success of artists and creative individuals and establish connections between current students and alumni,” says Smith. 

Any of the students who have decided to visit the exhibits during their college careers have talked highly of the alumni artists and the talent that they bring back to their Alma Mater.  

It is a fun time for current students and past students to meet and learn about the different ways to produce art for the public or just in a creative aspect. 

 “We invite a different Juror every year so their selection always produces a varied range of work. Andrea Stone (BA ’78), Art Educator and patron of the arts, selected a range of work that highlights the skills of the individual artists,” says Smith.  

The exhibit is still in session and Smith is excited for its last two and a half weeks. Students are encouraged to see these alumni bring their passions to life as they study to reach similar goals. The Sixth Biennial Alumni Art Exhibition is a sure way to find great artists in the area and has offered so many opportunities for former UWG students.