On Friday, Oct. 18 from 6-8 pm, the Tweed is holding an opening reception for the Biennial Art and Design Faculty Exhibition titled “What We Do.” As the title implies, “What We Do” allows students, faculty and community members to see what the faculty does as artists when they are not teaching and to gain a sense for why they do it.
This diverse collection contains work from about 75 percent of the Art and Design faculty who chose a relatively recent piece that best demonstrates their own artistic interests and accomplishments. The art featured represents various areas of art including ceramics, video works, painting and photography among many others, and ranges from traditional works — such as printmaking — to more contemporary, cutting-edge technology.
To James Klueg, the Department Head of the Art and Design Department, this exhibition is an opportunity to remind students and community members of a talented group of artists who exhibit their work nationally and some internationally.
“As a professor, you don’t want to foreground your work because you’re trying to teach students about all styles and approaches in a discipline,” Klueg said. “This is a good way for the work to do the talking. People can come and be wowed.”
In addition to gaining an appreciation for the artistic capabilities of the faculty, Tweed Director Ken Bloom emphasizes that with UMD’s status and reputation as a research institution, this exhibit serves a purpose of demonstrating the range of research of the Art and Design faculty members.
Although many people associate research with science, it plays an essential role in vast areas of study — including art. Research as it applies to art can be the investigation of ideas to express or the exploration of new technical advances.
According to Assistant Professor Kristen Pless, artists research a topic that will inform their artwork and come to a resolution about that topic through making art. In observing the work created by professors, students gain a sense what drives each faculty member to make art.
“People have a blip into why we make the things we make and what we care about,” Pless said.
BY MAKAILA MILLER STAFF REPORTER