Art Attack at Catherine Smith Gallery
ASU’s 2008 Art Expo now on display
By Jeff Eason

Lord Avebury, also known as Sir John Lubbock, once said, “As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life.” With that thought, it is appropriate that Appalachian State University should hold its annual Art Expo at a time of year when the sun and flowers are putting color into our outdoor landscape.

For indoor color, there’s no beating this year’s entries in the ASU Art Department’s 2008 Art Expo, now on display at the Catherine J. Smith Gallery in Boone. The exhibit features the best of student art from the past few years and will mark the elevation from amateur to professional artist for many of the exhibitors.

Art Expo 2008 is a juried student exhibition that will be on display from March 27th through April 19th. A public reception and awards ceremony will be held at the gallery on Friday, April 4th from 4 to 6 p.m. Vice Chancellor of Student Development, Cindy Wallace will present awards to a select group of exhibiting artists. ASU Art Dept. Chair Marilyn Smith will announce the scholarship recipients at the reception as well.

Jerry Jackson served as guest juror for the Art Expo 2008. Jackson, assemblage artist and deputy director of the Penland School of Crafts, selected the exhibition from entries that were on display at Wey Hall last month.

The new exhibit includes artworks in the following media: clay, drawing, metalsmithing, painting, fibers, graphic design, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.

ASU art students and faculty assisted Jackson by voting for the favorite work in each category.

The ASU Art Expo 2008 features work by students Tristen Agnello, Brad Armsworth, Attabel Artiga, Jeffrey D. Cain, Kerri Chambers, Rachel Chapman, Caroline Creek, Eric Cox, Ali Croft, Jaime Curlin, Anthony Deal, Erin Devlin, Rebecca Farris, Hannah Ferrara, Ellen Lee Fields, Drew Forester, Elizabeth S. Gilliam, Meredith Goff, Heather Lela Graham, Amanda Hart, Rachel Haycraft, Justini Helms, Laura Henley, Reaksmey Higgins, Bethany Jesseph, Jamie Kale, Matt Lawson, Zachary R. Lindley, Jennifer Livingston, Kirby Mellot, Meghan Parsons, Rob Peper, Hannah Pertalion, Gwyn Pevonka, Lorelle Rau, Renee Richard, Jonathan Ryan, Austin Saylor, Chelsea Schroeder, Stephanie Sims, Michael Sinclair, Erin Souther, Ben Wesemann and Daniel C. Wiggins.

Catherine Smith Gallery curator Jody Servon organized the exhibit along with students from the Arts Management Organization, National Art Educators Association, Student Art League, and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Senior art graphic design major Eric Cox created the design for the prospectus, poster, postcard and other publications promoting the event. Senior art management major Megan Sayre served as exhibition manager and coordinator.

Art Expo Awards

The Appalachian State University Art Department’s 2008 Art Expo will hold a reception and awards ceremony at the Catherine J. Smith Gallery on Friday, April 4th from 4 to 6 p.m. The event will include the announcement of awards and scholarships for the semester.

The reception is free and open to the public. It will also offer the public an opportunity to purchase some of the art in this year’s Art Expo. Approximately 75% of the works on display are for sale.

The Catherine Smith Gallery is open from Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (828) 262-7338, or visit www.art.appstate.edu.