The Kauffman Gallery located in the Huber Art Center kicked off the spring semester with a new exhibit, “A Person, Place or Thing.” The exhibition features 59 works of art from graduate students pursuing their Master of Fine Art (MFA) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).
Many of the works of art are abstract and set the tone for a brilliant display. Each piece of art has its own story and can be looked at in many ways.
The pieces are coordinated to give those who view the exhibition moments of reflection, which made this exhibit special.
The collection of artwork consists of oil paintings, graphite drawings and mixed media drawings. Many of the works of art are also for sale.
Art professor Ben Culbertson, who was present at the exhibit’s opening, encourages his students to attend the exhibit in order to give them inspiration.
He informed his students that those who take the time to view abstract art are an active part of the artist’s vision.
“By reaching your own conception of abstract art, you become an active participant of the art,” Culbertson said.
Eric Brennan, Shippensburg University alumnus and current student of IUP’s masters program is just one of the many up-and-coming artists who has his work displayed in the “A Person, Place or Thing” exhibit.
“It’s an interpretation of how we are influenced by certain things,” Brennan said about the drawings, “Discarded” and “Unseen.”
“The drawings are a technical abstraction of things; they are not a regular interpretation of a person, but they are a little effect of the way things are distorted by the influence of the subject,” Brennan said.
Brennan’s influences come from his own inspirations and from viewing other artists, which keeps him on top of the current artwork.
Michael Campbell, director of the Kauffman Gallery said, “We wanted to demonstrate to the art students the next level of art education, and give direction to students that desire to pursue their master’s in fine arts, once finishing the B.A. arts program here at SU. This exhibit answers the question: How different would the art look in concept, form and skill? We believe this exhibit displays exactly what the next level looks like. All of the art that has been brought together by the students of IUP represent the best of what the IUP master’s program has to offer.
The exhibition is on display now in the Kauffman Gallery until Feb. 21.
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