Every year, the faculty members of the Department of Arts, Theatre and Dance at West Texas A&M University create an exhibition to showcase their work. It allows for the professors to show the art students that their professors are still actively working in the art world, and never stopping.

Jon Revett, Associate Professor of Art and Art Program Director and Doris Alexander, Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts, stated,“It sets a professional level for the art students.”

This is the perfect way to describe how important the annual event is for the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities. Many different pieces of artwork are showcased, from digital media to paintings.

There are a range of art styles, and it adds to the, “diverse grouping of works,” as Revett said. The exhibition is traditional for WTAMU, but the works highlighted from year to year reflect the pieces that the art professors have been working on, and can at times, also reflect the year in which the art was made.

An example given by Revett is that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a, “political restructuring, with socially conscious themes.” This shows that the art world is constantly changing.

Some further sources that validate this claim are Advantages – art-exhibitions, which highlights the importance of art shows being, “groundbreaking and influential for different styles and concepts.”

Another important element to the Faculty Arts show is the video projections. In an article written by Leva Cicirkaite Video Projection Mapping, the article mentions that, “Artworks were projected on huge screens, which created an illusion of being in those artworks.”

The video projections certainly add to the diverse groupings, and it is helpful to note that with new additions to the faculty of Art and Design, this show will highlight the many different art styles of the professors.

The new additions to the faculty of Art and Design will be able to showcase their work to students, which sets a professional base for the expectations for art students. It is an important event to set the tone for the rest of the year, and to help art students with their own work.

The art students surely benefit from having this event available every year, so as to be inspired by their professors and to have a deeper look into the different art styles such as digital media, painting and sculptures.

The opening reception was hosted on Sept. 2 at 5:00-7:00pm at Mary Moody Northen Hall on WTAMU’s campus. There were many pieces of art showcasing, and it was an exciting event. Students and lecturers attended and began to understand each other a lot better.