Discover the diverse talents of UNM staff at the “Staff As Artists” exhibit, held June 16-20 at the John Sommers Gallery, second floor of the Art & Art History building. An opening reception will be held Monday, June 16, 4:30-6 p.m. Part of Staff Appreciation Week, the show is sponsored by UNM Staff Council. Past exhibits have included book art, drawing, painting, photography, pottery, quilts, sculpture and more. Monday’s reception features a performance by harpist Kathy Wimmer.
Jeremy Gibson and Kat Heatherington participated in the show for the first time last year.
“It’s a good opportunity for people to see another side of the people they work with,” Heatherington said.
Last year’s exhibit was also the first time Gibson had publicly shown his work. He said having his art seen encourages him to keep doing it. He was working on a new piece for the current exhibit a couple of weeks before the show’s start.
Heatherington is submitting “The Hydologic Cycle,” a drawing that explores the cycle of rainfall and replenishment of water in the desert.
Student artwork covers the walls and even dots the ceiling in her office. Heatherington, graduate academic advisor in the Department of Art & Art History, said she’s fortunate that students are willing to loan art that she can look at all the time. She also tries to support students’ art by attending their shows.
Gibson is an arborist in the Physical Plant Department. He said enhancing the natural beauty of trees is its own art form.
In photography and drawing, he leans toward portraiture, particularly hands and fDavid Brookshire. “I try to challenge myself by picking those kinds of subjects, looking at human emotions and expressions,” he said.
Heatherington’s art, often addressing interactions with the natural world, comes from an organic process. “I make a mark and see where it takes me,” she said.
The “Staff As Artists” exhibit will be open Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., and Friday, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Media Contact: Sari Krosinsky, (505) 277-1593; e-mail: michal@unm.edu
Posted by scarr at June 13, 2008 09:41 AM