The work of two of Northwest Mississippi Community College art instructors are currently part of an exhibition at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art (LRMA) in Laurel.  Instructors Eunika Rogers and Ashley Chavis both have pieces in the Mississippi Art Faculty: Juried Exhibition, which will run at the museum until March 29.

The exhibition showcases current works by full and part-time art studio faculty at colleges and universities throughout Mississippi, according to Holly Dodd, LRMA director of marketing.

Rogers, of Memphis, submitted  “Self Portrait,” a clay and charcoal painting. Rogers has been a faculty member at Northwest for three years and teaches Art Appreciation, Design, Computers in Art and Advertising Design.

Chavis of Oxford, who is in his second year at Northwest, submitted a mixed-media piece entitled “Snip.” “It is primarily a painting of a pair of wire cutters with a clay sculpture inside the painting. The idea behind the piece stems from recent experimentations that include objects that serve as personal metaphors,” Chavis said. Chavis teaches Drawing, Ceramics and Art Appreciation.

An awards ceremony and opening reception were held on Feb. 22 at the museum. According to Dodd, the juror for the exhibition was Joseph W. Lampo, deputy director of programming and curator of paintings, prints and photographs at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock. Best in Show was awarded to Brent Funderburk of Mississippi State University, and Awards of Excellence were awarded to Chatham Meade of William Carey University, Albert Sperath of the University of Mississippi and Christopher Brady of East Central Community College.

"It takes a great deal of tenacity to be an artist, yet we are committed to making artwork which speaks about ourselves and/or our time in which we live. Eunika Rogers and Ashley Chavis are committed professional artists and excellent instructors who demand just as much from themselves as they would any aspiring art student. Their participation and acceptance into this current exhibition is just another example of what it means to pursue excellence," said Lawayne House, Northwest art chair.

The Northwest Mississippi Community College Fine Arts Division offers classes in the fundamentals of Drawing; Painting; Ceramics; Art History; and Computer Graphics for individuals seeking opportunities or a career in the arts or for personal enrichment. For more information, contact House at 662-562-3399 or e-mail lhouse@northwestms.edu.

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