Meghan Zimbler
Staff Writer
Springfield College faculty’s art will be featured in the Blizard Gallery in Blake Hall. It is the first event of the semester for the William Simpson Fine Arts Series.
Walking into the Blizard Gallery, you will notice fine art, which includes sculptures, paintings, photography and more. What you might not realize is that all of the pieces were done by faculty members who teach at Springfield College.
The faculty show starts off the semester of the William Simpson Fine Arts Series.
The talented professors have gone to the Blizard Gallery, located in Blake Hall, to show what they can do through different forms of art. Two- and three-dimensional artwork is displayed in the gallery, and each piece has a different personality.
In the front of the gallery sits a small binder on a stand, naming all the artists. Looking through this you will find a page-long biography of each artist, and pages of their teaching experience and qualifications from the past and present.
The faculty artists typically display three or four pieces of work.
“It gives the students and the college community an idea of what the faculty is involved in,” said Ron Maggio, one of the associate professors in the Visual and Performing Arts program.
Maggio has three pieces of art in the exhibit. He found his inspiration within Ancient Rome and wall frescos.
A wall fresco is a wall painting that is done on wet plaster. It was common art in Ancient Rome. Maggio made it into his own, on paper, with acrylic and oil pastels.
“It took me about three months to figure out the process. I am very interested in the Ancient Roman art,” Maggio said.
Each piece includes personality, diversity and a theme that each artist portrays in their work. Anyone could walk into this gallery and just feel and see passion in the artwork itself.
One of many fantastic artists is Holly Murray. Murray is a graduate from Syracuse University with her B.F.A., who later obtained her M.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts. Her artwork at the gallery consisted of a whale hunting theme.
One of the inspirations for Murray was a woman named Susan Veeder. Veeder was the wife of a whaling captain, whose husband killed the spermaceti whale to take its oil from the head cavity, which is then used to make candles.
Murray’s artist statement in the gallery states, “I’d like to think that art can change our perception and perhaps our vision.”
Along with Murray and Maggio, other artists line the gallery with their creations. Charles Abel took photographs, Ruth West did a digital media project on aluminum, Jorge Costa did graphite, Scott Redmen did terra cotta, and many more contributed with amazing pieces of artwork by each.
Although there is no set theme for this exhibit, each artist is working on their own pieces with themes within. It makes the faculty gallery a lot different than other showings. Each work is inspired by the personal experience of the artist, and every member has their own style of art.
Something that really stands out with this gallery and the artists in it is that all of the faculty members have their M.F.A.’s, (Master of Fine Arts Degree) which is the terminal degree in art, and some even have their doctorate.
Throughout the semester, the William Simpson Fine Arts Series will be hosting different shows and exhibits that are open to the college community and the public.