Dozens of faces splattered with bright colors greet you as soon as you walk on the top floor of Peterson Hall. The Rice Art Gallery features works by various artists throughout the school year and currently displays the wildly vivid portrait art of John Hampshire, an associate professor of studio art based in New York. His many eccentric paintings will be on display until February 20.
Steve Pearson, art professor and director of the Rice Gallery, notes that while “good crowds of students” come to artist receptions, he “would always like to see more.” Most students who visit are art and art history majors and minors, but the gallery and artist talks are open to every student on campus.
Starting February 26, the Rice Gallery will feature the art of Brian Cirmo, with a talk by the artist himself at 6 p.m. Cirmo’s exhibit “Black: Recent Paintings,” influenced by his travels and experiences with American culture, will be on display until April.
According to Pearson, “the fall semester consists of four solo exhibitions of professional emerging or mid-career artists from the Baltimore/Washington DC region and beyond, and two in the spring.”
From April 7 to the 18, the gallery will display the Kathryn E. Wentz Juried Undergraduate Exhibition, featuring the artwork of students carefully selected by Amanda Burnham, an art professor at Towson University.
From May 7 to May 16, the senior capstones of art students at McDaniel College will be on display.
The media of art featured has included a variety of paintings, sculptures, photography, videos, and installations. Pearson states, “I would like to be able to offer more exhibitions that use video,” adding that the gallery has recently received grant money which he wishes to spend on TVs to display more video pieces.
Many artists who have been featured in the Rice Gallery have gone on to “to have solo museum or NY Gallery exhibits, be included in important group exhibitions, be semi-finalists, finalists, and winners of prestigious awards, grants and artist residencies,” confirms Pearson.
Such artists include Jac Lahov, Stewart Watson, Chris LaVoie, Seth Adelsberger, Katherine Mann, Ayana Moor, Bill Schmidt, Christian Benefiel, Richard Garrison, Zoe Charlton, and Amy Boone-McReesh.
Upcoming artist lecturer Tim Doud, a figure painter, will be on campus on March 11 at 7 p.m. in Peterson room 104. The gallery talk to accompany the Kathryn E. Wentz Juried Undergraduate Exhibition will be on April 9 at 6 p.m.; the gallery talk accompanying senior capstones will be May 8 at 6 p.m.
Pearson states, “Each exhibit and artist lecture offers something new, so come to as many as possible. You never know what will pique your interest affect your outlook on life and the world you live in.”
