Get to know your artists: SA/VS exhibition showcases select faculty

The Bolivar Art Gallery kicks off its exhibitions this year by featuring works from home. Recent works by select faculty members from the University of Kentucky School of Art and Visual Studies will be featured in “Faculty Series: VOL. VI,” the sixth annual exhibition in the series. The free public exhibit, which runs Aug. 25-Sept. 23, will hold a reception 4-6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, at the gallery in the Art and Visual Studies Building.

A slight departure from the traditional "faculty show" format, the series occurs annually and represents only a portion of the faculty, with different artists exhibiting each year. This installment includes work in a variety of media by eight artists: Mia Cinelli, associate professor of digital media design; Jeremy Colbert, senior lecturer of sculpture; Rae Goodwin, professor of installation and performance, and College of Fine Arts associate dean; Doreen Maloney, professor of new media and intermedia; Paul Masterson, wood shop coordinator; Jessica Page, visiting lecturer of new media and intermedia and photography; Bobby Scroggins, professor of ceramics; and Brandon Clay Smith, senior lecturer of drawing and painting. With only eight artists featured, the exhibition offers viewers an opportunity to get a more in-depth, intimate view of each faculty member’s work.

Two gallery talks will be presented in conjunction with “Faculty Series; VOL. VI” for those interested in learning more about the artists and their work. The talks with artists in the show will take place noon Friday, Sept. 8, and noon Friday, Sept. 22.

Cinelli’s art featured in the show includes “Pandemic Parade Banners,” made from wool and acrylic felt, thrifted fabric, vintage thread, and Cinelli’s late grandmother’s embroidery floss. At the turn of the 20th century, large vertical banners showcased the values of fraternal groups, women’s suffrage associations, and religious orders. Using custom typography informed by historic letterforms, cherished sentiments are replaced with ubiquitous phrases describing the early COVID-19 global pandemic.

Other works in the show include: Maloney’s suspended plexiglass panels with etched text; Colbert’s mixed media sculptures; Goodwin’s sculpture and video project; Smith’s oil on canvas; Masterson’s woodworking; Scroggins ceramic fertility basins; and Page’s series of mirrors.

The Bolivar Art Gallery is located on the first floor of the Art and Visual Studies Building, located at 236 Bolivar St. Gallery viewing hours are 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon-4 p.m. Saturday.

The UK School of Art and Visual Studies at the College of Fine Arts offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of art studio, art history and visual studies, art education, and digital media design.