Student art exhibition opens in Crossroads gallery

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Alex Anderson contributed "Shroud Piece" to Friday evening's exhibition at Wallace Engineering. Anderson also currently has his sculpture "Five Mast Viewing Device" installed on campus. Photo by Aaron Rhodes, The Campus Ledger.
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Aaron Rhodes

Editor-in-chief

arhodes2@jccc.edu

The college’s Department of Fine Arts and Photography held an exhibition opening Friday evening at the Gallery at Wallace Engineering in Kansas City’s Crossroads district. Work from numerous students in several different media is currently on display.

Mark Cowardin, Professor and Chair of the Fine Arts and Photography Department, explained that a college employee’s spouse works at Wallace Engineering and gave the college the opportunity to take part in their monthly display.

“We tried to get a representation of every area in the Fine Arts and Photography Department,” Cowardin said. “Sculpture, painting, metals and silversmithing, ceramics and photography. Digital imaging for artists as well.”

Friday’s exhibition was the first Crossroads exhibition of exclusively JCCC art since Cowardin began working at the college. Cowardin said he hopes to make it a yearly event.

“As a teacher, for me, it’s really important to connect what we do in the classroom to what happens in the real world,” Cowardin said. “So, for students to be able to make their work and then connect it to a real venue where people can actually get out and see [it], that’s important. It’s great for students to show up and take pride in what they’ve done.”

Alex Anderson, student artist, has his work “Shroud Piece” on display at the Wallace Engineering exhibition. The painting is made up of plaster, rope, singed burlap, myrrh, acrylic and palm ash wax on canvas. Anderson said “Shroud Piece” had previously been displayed at the college, in the Mind’s Eye literary magazine and at SeedCo Studios in Lawrence, Kan.

“It’s just been well-received. People seem to like it,” Anderson said. “I’ve got other canvases, but this one keeps coming up.”

Student artist Wendie Collins contributed three bronze animal statues to the exhibition. Her work is titled “Race To Extinction” and was created with the intention of discussing the treatment of animals. Collins was impressed with the exhibition and was excited about her fellow students creating high-caliber work for display.

“I think it’s great that they’re giving students an opportunity to show their work and it’s just really nice to see these budding young people and what they can do,” Collins said.

The exhibition is on display at Wallace Engineering (1741 McGee St., Kansas City, Mo.) through Nov. 2. Regular hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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