Through Friday, October 12, 2012 the artwork of eight faculty and staff members of the Department of Art at Middle Tennessee State University is on display at the Murfreesboro City Hall Rotunda. Participating are Charles Clary, Andrew Kosten, Melissa Newman, Kathleen O’Connell, Meghan O’Connor, Eric Snyder, Thomas Sturgill, and Patricia Tenpenny.

“The exhibit was organized to showcase the wide array of fine art talent found on the campus of MTSU through the Department of Art,” stated Eric Snyder. While also participating, Snyder who currently serves as Director of MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery, as well as, chair of the City Hall Art Committee identified the city’s intent for the committee to elevate community awareness for art and local artists as an ideal convergence of intent and talent found in Murfreesboro through MTSU. “Because the City Hall Art Committee is responsible for advancing the awareness and support of Murfreesboro’s visual arts resources involving MTSU seemed natural,” said Patricia Tenpenny, art committee member and exhibit participant. Further, Snyder stated that, “the artists included represent the art department’s focus on training students through the development of a strong foundation for art through the study of its many disciplines including book arts and printmaking represented respectively by new faculty members Kathleen O’Connell and Andrew Kosten.”

You can meet the artist’s at a planned Closing Reception scheduled in the Rotunda Thursday, October 11, 2012 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Quick facts

Exhibit Dates: September 21 – October 12, 2012

Location: In the Rotunda at City Hall

Address: 111 West Vine Street.

Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Reception: Thursday, October 11 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

With the exception of holidays, the exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

For further information or directions 893-5210

Artist Statements

Charles Clary– I use paper to create a world of fiction that challenges the viewer to suspend disbelief and venture into my fabricated reality. … These constructions question the notion of microbial outbreaks and their similarity to the visual representation of sound waves, transforming them into something more playful and inviting.

Andrew Kosten–Through the use of physical metaphor it is my intention to shed light on the frequent and mundane mishaps of an all too often complacent public consciousness. Themes that have remained somewhat consistent in my work include the influence of the corrupt over the unsuspecting, the hilarity and whimsical nature of the human psyche, and the function of the individual in relation to their culture or environment. 

Melissa Newman–While I do not feel that my work is about the co-existence of different types of imagery on one surface, my process is one of combining my varied sources through a distillation that results in a final and cohesive image.  All of my choices from beginning to end are determined by the exploration of the slight tweaks and shifts that greatly change the way an object or image is perceived. 

Kathleen O’Connell– My creative process is based on observations over periods of time, often projecting in to the future, identifying patterns and making comparisons—actions I associate with the heightened mental state of a traveler. I am inspired by the psychological and metaphysical spaces that travel creates. I focus on the moments when the traveler meets with a metaphysical barrier, then leaps over it weightless, with grace.

Meghan O’Connor–A visually complex and narrative format is a "hook" to keep the viewer interested.  The style of depiction has a basis in direct observation, but is largely imagined imagery.  Animals become a stand-in for the human figure and mechanical forms are a metaphor for harmful systems of power.  Through the illusion of transparency, overlapping, and interpenetration, I combine these disparate forms to evoke empathy toward the human condition itself and show that things are ultimately out of our control.

Eric Snyder–With my work I seek to satisfy the aesthetic and psychological needs of media, viewer and artist.  I engage in the endless challenge of aesthetics and function; diligently seeking to create a balance between needs that must combine to satisfy.  

Thomas Sturgill– My recent work has been part of a complex platform of work called the "Community Camaro".  

Patricia Tenpenny– We enter the sacred place of the temple within through meditating on simple geometric shapes arranged in significant forms known as Sacred Geometry. … It is the key to understanding the interconnectedness of everything within the Universe and for many is the link that reconciles science with spirituality.