From oil painting and wire sculpture to ceramics and wheel-thrown pottery, A-B Tech’s art instructors are the gateway into many art forms on campus. To kick off the fall semester, the art department is showcasing an exhibit of faculty artwork by five instructors: Heather Lewis, Ani Volkan, Derek Rhodarmer, Lori Johnson, and Molly Morningglory. The exhibit, entitled “Outside the Classroom,” is currently on display, though it will kick off with an artist reception on Friday, October 3, with light refreshments and Q&A that will offer a glimpse inside the artists’ creative work.
Though modest in size, the exhibit offers a fascinating variety of media with themes ranging from the interplay of industrial and natural life, Armenian folk tales, and the beauty of everyday objects. The pieces include textile art and embroidery, oil painting, collage, and encaustic painting.
Adjunct instructor Molly Morningglory is primarily a ceramic artist, though she often branches into performance, video creation, and dyeing fabric with foraged plants. Her contribution to the art show may be the most unusual: What appear to be prints made from tree bark are actually a collection of oven-baked parchment papers used to line a bread pan.
“I am highlighting simple, often overlooked beauty,” Morningglorly said. “These papers are archives of regularly baking (sourdough) bread to feed my family. Putting them in a gallery context brings attention to the importance of nourishing rituals.”
Adjunct instructor Heather Lewis enjoys playing with texture and layers of paint in her multimedia collage work. She compares her fearless process of conjuring up memories and emotions to that of an improv performer in a theater.
Full-time instructor Ani Volkan, who is also organizer of the show, said she hopes the exhibit will draw art admirers from the broader community to A-B Tech’s campus. “We are a community college, and I take that word seriously,” she said. “I want to provide as many opportunities as I can for us to engage and involve our community.”
Another aim is to highlight the fact that A-B Tech faculty’s work life extends to creative realms beyond the college campus. “Sometimes people forget that we are professionals in our field,” Volkan said. “We invest so much time in the classroom that they forget we are active artists.”
“Beyond the Classroom” will be on display in the Coman Gallery (in the student center’s dining area) from now until October 17. Opening Artist Reception: Friday, October 3, from 5:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m. with Artist Q and A at 6:00 p.m.