The Biennial Faculty Art Showcase opened in the Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery on Sept. 17, showcasing artwork from 25 different Weber State University faculty members, the first physical show held there since the pandemic.
Usually occurring once every two years, this faculty show in particular was delayed last year due to COVID-19. Free and open to the public, the show will run until Nov. 13, with gallery hours running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
Shaw Gallery Director Lydia Gravis said the exhibit is a valuable opportunity for the faculty as they share their own work and present themselves not just as teachers, but as artists.
Gravis said the faculty responded to current events and issues through their various visual languages, from abstraction to visual meditation.
“This is an example of an exhibition that is truly diverse in content, in style and medium, so it’s a great chance for people to come out and see a huge variety of working artists who are also teachers and staff,” Gravis said.
Professor Jason Manley said his classroom teaching material influenced his work for the show.
”There are things that I teach that inspire what I do in my own work, and my own research comes out in my teaching,” Manley said. “It’s good for students to see what we do, what the faculty does and that we are practicing artists and not just teachers.”
Gravis said research is a big part of a professor’s professional career, and the visual arts seen in the exhibit are like research presentations — rather than being published in a paper or article, the research is presented in an exhibition of artwork.
Manley’s favorite part of exhibitions is showing off his hard work.
“I don’t make work to just go in my basement; I want people to see it,” Manley said. “You present it, and it’s a moment to reflect on what you’ve done.”
Cassie Smith, marketing and public relations manager for Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities, said it was exciting to see what the faculty has been working on as well as finally hosting another in-person event.
“Our faculty are incredible artists, so it’s cool to see not only what they are doing in the classroom, but outside of the classroom,” Smith said. “This is what they are working on and this is what they are getting involved in.”
Smith said she is excited for everything this exhibition represents, especially getting back to normal.
