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News and Events

	UNCP outdoor sculpture

Posted May 1, 2009

A new campus landmark was installed on April 15 at the University.

A sculpture by California artist Katsuhisa Sakai came to rest in the well-tended landscape bed under a trio of Crape Myrtle trees. In the Student Quad, it is one of the University’s most visible locations.

Sakai supervised the installation of the rock sculpture on a concrete pedestal. Titled “Tanza,” the artist said his work has special meaning for students.

“Tanza means to sit straight and follow your thoughts,” he said. “It’s about focus and problem solving, so I thought it a good concept for students.

“It will provoke a conversation,” he promised.

Indeed, the sculpture is straight-backed with armrests. It is made from joined pieces of shaped, blue basalt from Mexico. It was made to last an eternity, Sakai said.

“I am telling my grandchildren that they can see my work at UNC Pembroke,” he said. “And, it’s maintenance-free because it is very hard rock.”

Dean Martin Slann (Arts & Sciences) was on hand to view the sculpture on its first full day. “This is a genuine and superb work of art that will be enjoyed for many generations to come,” Dean Slann said. “It has a permanent place on this campus where thousands of students, faculty, and staff pass by on a daily basis.

“We are very grateful to Katsuhisa Sakai for traveling from California to dedicate his art to UNCP and to the Department of Art for sponsoring the visit,” he said. “The sculpture demonstrates a quality of peace and serenity that also provides the viewer with an emotional calmness, the sort of impression most of us need during a time of economic difficulty and uncertainty.”

Sakai and Yale classmate and UNCP faculty member James Biederman proposed the gift a little more than a year ago. It is the first permanent, non-representational piece of sculpture on campus.

“A committee was formed, and we may have broken some new ground,” Biederman said. “We found the perfect spot for it.”
Dr. Richard Gay (Art) was a member of the committee.

“I was pleased with the decision of the committee and particularly the site selected for the gift,” Dr. Gay said. “As a gift, it has opened up the possibility that future gifts will follow.”

Sakai agreed, saying thousands of students, faculty and staff will pass it each day. It is positioned along the main walkway in front of the James B. Chavis University Center and the Cafeteria.

“This came as a total surprise to me,” Sakai said. “This is a really, really nice spot.” Sakai, who works in a wide variety of mediums, said this is the first permanent outdoor placement of his sculpture in a public space.

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	Lightfoot presents at NAEA meeting

Posted May 1, 2009

Dr. Tulla Lightfoot made two presentations at the annual conference of the National Art Education Association held in Minneapolis, Minn.,
April 17-20.

Her first presentation, “Seagrove Potters,” was given on April 17. Her
second presentation, “Art and the English Language Learner,” was on
April 18.

Dr. Lightfoot serves as the current Higher Education Division Representative for the
state chapter of the North Carolina Art Education Association.

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Andrew Kosten, The Party's Over, Intaglio, 2008/9 Matthew Hopson-Walker, Long Lessons in Terror and Panic, Screenprint, 2008/9	Visiting Printmakers Andrew Kosten and Matthew Hopson-Walker

Posted April 8, 2009

Art Department Hosts Visiting Printmakers Andrew Kosten and Matthew Hopson-Walker

Andrew Kosten and Matthew Hopson-Walker will be conducting a visiting artist workshop from Tuesday April 6th through Thursday, April 9th in the UNCP Printmaking Studios. This will be week-long, intensive workshop focused on the tradition of multiples in printmaking. Kosten will be editioning a multiple plate color intaglio print and Hopson-Walker will be working on a multiple block, reductive color woodcut. Both visiting artist will be assisted by art students and faculty throughout the process. Participating students will receive one of the images created during the workshop and additional copies will be donated to the printmaking area. Students, faculty, and community members are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Professor Brandon Sanderson at brandon.sanderson@uncp.edu or by telephone at 910-521-6406.

Andrew Kosten received his MFA in Printmaking from the University of South Dakota in 2005 and his BFA in Painting from Washington University in Saint Louis in 2001. He is currently teaching foundations at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California. Kosten has conducted 5 visiting artist workshops, participated in 23 printmaking exchanges, and shown in 50 juried, invitational, or solo exhibitions. For more information about the artist, visit his website at www.andrewkosten.com

Matthew Hopson-Walker received his MFA in Printmaking from the University of Iowa in 2003 and his BFA in Printmaking from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1998. He is currently teaching printmaking at California State University-Fresno in Fresno, California. Hopson-Walker has participated in 40 printmaking exchanges and shown work in over 140 juried, invitational, or solo exhibitions.

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	Former student to Perform at National Conference on Cast Iron

Posted April 1, 2009

Austin Sheppard on April 3rd will be performing a piece titled "Thulsa Doom: the Twin Serpents" at the National Conference on Cast Iron Art at Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham Alabama. Only three artists were invited to perform this year.

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Storm VIII - Julie Floss	Faculty accepted into Juried Exhibition

Posted April 1, 2009

Faculty Members Janette Hopper, Brandon Sanderson and Julie Floss as well as Professor Emertius Ralph Steeds. Over 2000 works of art from accross the United States was submitted and 170 works were accepted.

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	Printmaking Area Hosts Visiting Artist Julie Niskanen

Posted March 9, 2009

Printmaking Area Hosts Visiting Artist Julie Niskanen from March 10th to 12th, 2009

Julie Niskanen will be conducting a visiting artist workshop from March 10th to 12th in the UNCP Printmaking Studios, Locklear Hall, Room 101A from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This will be a three-day intensive workshop that will include demonstrations, lectures, and the production of a small edition of prints. The workshop will focus on combining mezzotint with traditional etching techniques. Students, faculty, and community members are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Professor Brandon Sanderson at brandon.sanderson@uncp.edu or by telephone at 910-521-6406.

Niskanen received her MFA in Printmaking from the University of South Dakota in 2008 and her BFA in Printmaking, Painting, and Art History from Iowa State University in 2005. She is currently teaching Art Appreciation, Art History, Professional Development, Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking at Fayetteville Technical Community College and Piedmont Community College in North Carolina. Currently a resident of Raleigh, North Carolina, Niskanen has conducted 5 visiting artist workshops, shown in 4 solo exhibitions, 44 juried exhibitions and 27 group exhibitions. Niskanen has participated in 22 print exchanges. Her work is in collections in the United States, Denmark, Italy, and New Zealand. For more information about the artist, visit her website at www.julieniskanen.com The artist's statement follows.

Julie Niskanen
Artist Statement

The natural forms that permeate our world too often become background patterns in our hectic lives. For the most part, people no longer feel the wonder of the complexities and intricacies seen in forms such as a single seedpod. All too often one walks by a scene or object without noticing it. Many people go through a day or lifetime ignoring the small beauties and ideas around them. What happens when we slow down to truly notice and examine what is around us? Examining these organic forms allows me to reflect on the human disregard for so many things, while also reflecting on and bringing forth these rhythms of nature that are often unnoticed in our lives. The images I work with address this issue and elucidate the beauty I find within these natural forms.

Transformation is an underlying theme in these works, as I am constantly working through my own transformative journey. The subtle changes and cycles in nature are often unnoticed, and I work to bring attention and give power to them, as meaning can be found in the smallest things. In the course of exploring my connection with natural forms, I imbue them with my own feelings and experiences. For me, these prints are reliquaries – containers for powerful forms and ideas. By altering the scale, space, and context of these forms, I work to free them from their concrete cognitive associations and augment interpretations of the forms. These forms become signifiers the viewer can associate with a range of ideas from their own personal experiences. The printmaking processes I use give me an invaluable vocabulary of marks that feeds my thoughts and work. The process of creating each plate parallels the history of the forms, images, and their metaphors. Through using mezzotint and various etching techniques, I am able to achieve a wide range of tones and textures to complement the images and ideas.

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	Trevelyan to present at Faculty Scholarship & Creativity Forum

Posted February 24, 2009

Dr. Amelia M. Trevelyan will present “Embroidery in Stone: Mayan Architecture at the Ancient site of Uxmal in Mexico” at Faculty Scholarship & Creativity Forum Tuesday, March 10, 2009 5:30 – 7:00 Moore Hall Room 130. More information

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	Juried exhibition runs thru Feb. 25 at UNCP

Posted February 24, 2009

Article can be found here.

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	James Biederman wins grant for artists

Posted February 24, 2009

Article can be found here.

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	Samantha Krukowski Exhibit

Posted January 12, 2009

Article can be found here.

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	Painting Purchased by Gonzaga University

Posted January 5, 2009

Janette Hopper’s “Where the Red Tail Hawks Fly” a 4 X 6' Oil Painting on Canvas was purchased by Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington for their permanent collection.

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	UNCP art student wins Spanish art competition

Posted January 5, 2009

UNC Pembroke art student Elena Lopez won the top prize in an international competition for her mixed media painting titled “1984.”

Elena Lopez with artworkThe contest, Premio de Pintura Joven 2008, was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce in Murcia, Spain, Lopez’ hometown. She won the under 21-year-old division.

“I think this is a wonderful achievement,” said James Biederman, UNCP’s Martha Beach Distinguished Professor of Art and an instructor of advanced painting. “This is encouraging for all of our students, and for Elena as she works to become a professional artist.

“We’re fortunate to have her in our program,” Biederman said. “Elena has enormous energy and insight.”

A student at the University of Murcia, Lopez decided to enroll for just one semester abroad at UNCP, but then she changed her mind.

“I feel very comfortable here,” she said in an interview in the painting studio. “It started out as just one semester, but I asked for an extension.”

Besides advanced painting, Lopez is taking pottery from Stephen Robison, advanced sculpture and Elements of Design. She is new to pottery.

“I feel free to do new things and improve on the things I am familiar with,” she said. “Professor Robison convinced me to write a book in Spanish and English.

“I like the results,” Lopez said. He is correcting my English.”

Elena Lopez's artworkShe admits she needs to work on English, but she would rather focus on art. Although Lopez is experimenting with different media, she is comfortable painting.

“1984” is acrylic, charcoal and wool yarn. Another of her works (pictured here) is spray paint and tape on wood.

Lopez does not place a label on herself as an artist, but she admires the work of artists like French Dadaist Marcel Duchamp. While in the U.S., she has toured many museums.

“So far, I have visited Miami, Charleston, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia,” Lopez said. “I plan to spend 10 days in New York next semester.”

The award and the cash prize are pleasing to the young artist.

“I want to be a professional artist, but that is really hard,” Lopez said. “I’m showing my paintings in contests.

“If I keep winning, it might be possible,” she concluded.

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	Concord mural tells story of black church

Posted December 1, 2008

By Karen Cimino Wilson
Published: November 29, 2008 in the Independent Tribune

An 18-foot mural depicting more than a century of Grace Lutheran Church's history now adorns the church's fellowship hall to celebrate the church's 125th anniversary.
Grace Lutheran commissioned the mural to celebrate the anniversary, which was this month. The mural was painted by church member and local artist Boyd Smith, 25, who studied painting at UNC-Pembroke.
Smith, who is working to build his reputation as an artist, said finishing the original piece took more than 600 hours over a period of four months.
The mural features the Rev. David James Koontz, a black Lutheran pastor, who was ordained in 1880 and began holding services for a small number of people in Concord that lead to the Grace Lutheran Church being founded in 1883.
"It's an 18-foot mural that tells the story from 1883 until the present in 2008," said Smith, a Concord High School graduate and the son of Billy and Debra Smith. "Koontz is featured. It has different images of how things came together and how the original church burned down in the early 1900s. It's a pretty rich history."
Koontz was one of the first black pastors to be ordained, according to church history. He led one of the largest Lutheran congregations in North Carolina, which was in Concord. Most early black churches met in homes or in stores because they could not afford to build their own churches.
Grace Lutheran first met in the courthouse and later in a small building on East Corban Street in Concord, according to the church. This building had been the Concord post office and then a hat shop.
Grace Lutheran and other Lutheran churches petitioned the Maryland Synod for funding to build a permanent church, saying that it was the church's duty to preach to the Freedmen. They were told they must wait and needed to do more work.
Smith said one of the most intriguing parts of the church's history is Koontz's death.
"He was really young when he died," Smith said, adding that many believe he may have been murdered.
Church history states that Koontz died of poisoning. Koontz's death left the Concord pastor position open. It was filled by the Rev. Niles J. Bakke, who is also featured in the mural, in 1891.
In 1923, Rev. Melvin J. Holsten became pastor at Grace Lutheran. At that time, the East Corban Street site was sold and the present site was purchased. The Great Depression delayed the construction of a new church for several years. The church's current building was built in 1938. Church membership grew to 300 under Holsten's leadership.
Grace Lutheran's current pastor, the Rev. Donald Anthony was installed in 1997. Under Anthony's leadership, the church has created a men's choir, a teen choir and a dance ministry.
Anthony also asked Smith to paint a mural to celebrate the church's history.
"Basically, the church put down a list of things they wanted in the piece," Smith said. "I tried to interpret that into the mural."
The mural contains three dimensional sculpture elements in addition to the painting. Jesus' cross, doves surrounding it and a ribbon celebrating 125 years of history literally come out of the painting.
Smith said this was his first mural, but he has been painting since he was in the 6th grade and has done several pieces for various shows and organizations throughout the Charlotte area.
Grace Lutheran's mural was completed in May, but the official anniversary of the church was celebrated earlier this month with a homecoming for former members and church leaders.
Concord Mayor Scott Padgett presented the church with a proclamation from the city celebrating the church's 125 years of contributions to the community.

To view more of Smith's work, visit www.myspace.com/boydzworkz .

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	Drive By Press at UNCP

 

Drive By Press visited UNCP November 18-20 where they conducted a series of workshop and critiqued student work. To find out more about them check out their website Drive By Press

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	Print Workshops Held at UNCP and ECU

Posted December 1, 2008

 

Here's a link to a Picasa site with images of October's Interplay
visiting artist workshop with Ryan O'Malley, Matt Egan, and Jon Goebel:
http://picasaweb.google.com/satisoculi/Fall2008UNCPPrintmaking
WorkshopInterplay?authkey=IaIyiTgKU9Y#

Here is a link to the Danse Macabre/Dance of Death Relief
Printmaking Workshop that Ryan O'Malley and UNCP Printmaker

Brandon Sanderson did at East Carolina University :
http://picasaweb.google.com/satisoculi/ECUPrintmakingWorkshop
Fall2008?authkey=QIN_8oGQkyg#

 

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Professor Li and students in Washington	Art Department hosts guest from Nanjing Normal University

Posted November 4, 2008

UNCP and Nanjing Normal University have an visiting agreement that began two years ago. Last spring Professor Stephen Robison and three students spent a month in China. Professor Li and two students reciporated October 12-31. The next step for the schools is to implement full semester exchanges and that will take place starting with students from UNCP. This has proved to be a great cooperation between our two schools. Photos of their time while visiting UNCP can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gusstiffpottery/sets/72157608215664540.

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	Painting Students Bring Color to Downtown Lumberton

Posted October 9, 2008

Professor james Biederman's painting class hosted a showing of their current work at the Robeson County Public Library in historic downtown Lumberton October 10, 2008. Those participating were Ryanne Albaugh, Aaron Siddall, Arthur Peacock, Amber Fillhart, Arlene Grady, Amanda Webster, Jenny Powers, Tasheeis Green, Mary Brazelton, Dyanne Locklear, Regina Selover, Deneer Davis, Chris Fowler, Joseph Groves, Zachary Ward, Megan Hobbs, Joanne Bradshaw, Elena Lopez Martin, Grace Walters, Kevin Locklear, Sara Sippy, Shelly Romero, Matthew Wilson, Lauren Hudson, and Alexandar Saunders.

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Alexander Calder, Untitled, 1976	Museum Trip to Washington, DC

Posted September 24, 2008

Trip to Washington, D.C.: Saturday, October 18
Depart: 6:30 AM
Return: 10:30-11:00 PM

Once again the Art History classes will be spending a day exploring the museums of Washington, D.C. Students enrolled in any Art History class may reserve a place on the bus with a $10 deposit. (The deposit will be returned to the students after they have boarded the bus.)

If there is room on the bus, Art Department majors and Art Club members may come along (on submitting a $10 deposit), once the sign-up period for the Art History classes has ended.

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	Elected to Fulbright Association Board of Directors

Posted August 27, 2008

The North Carolina Chapter of the Fulbright Association recently held elections for President and Board of Directors. Dr. John Antoine Labadie (Art) was elected as a member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Labadie was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at both National Chengchi University and the Taipei National University of the Arts during the 2005-2006 academic year.

The newly elected leaders of the North Carolina Chapter of the Fulbright Association will be installed on 18 September at a ceremony and chapter meeting at The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation on the campus of North Carolina State University. The North Carolina chapter of the Fulbright Association is statewide. The President and Board members are responsible for the governance of the chapter, the planning of events, and representing the chapter at national and international Fulbright events.

The Fulbright Association is located in Washington DC. As noted on the Association website, "The Fulbright Association has 47 chapters throughout the United States. Chapters are organized locally by Fulbright Association members to provide opportunities, through volunteer service, for continued involvement with the Fulbright program and with other alumni and visiting Fulbright students, teachers, and scholars currently in the U.S. chapters receive funds and support from the national office to conduct a variety of educational and cultural programs serving alumni, visiting Fulbrighters, and the local community." http://www.fulbrightalumni.org

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	Faculty Show Art at Cameron Museum

Posted August 26, 2008

May 2 - October 19, 2008
Brown Wing

This exhibition, the first in the museum's "Art and Social Conscience"series, features works by art faculty members from 11 of the 16 branches of the University of North Carolina system. Artists were asked to address the Holocaust and its larger context of mankind's inhumanity to man, and many responded with new work created for the exhibition.

Those represented from UNCP are Dr. Tulla Lightfoot, Margie Labadie, Janette Hopper, Dr. John Antoine Labadie, Carla Rokes, Dustin Hinson, & Gina Gibson.

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	Ralph Steeds in Shows

Posted August 25, 2008

Professor Emertius Ralph Steeds has recently been in the following shows:

Southeastern juried print exhibition, Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile Alabama. Print-- The Golem War, color lithograph, stamp and relief, 22x30in.

Pacific States National Biennial, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Campus Center Gallery, Hilo, Hawaii. Print-- The Golem War, Color Lithograph, stamp and relief, 22x30in.

Prints for Peace, Invitational. international exhibition. Guadalupe Victorica Taller Arte Desarrollo Humano. Casa Hogar el Refugio, Monterry Mexico. Julian Nava IMNRC Carpinteyro Gallery, Mexico. Print-- Dogs of War, Lithograph and relief Print, 10x10in.

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	Student in Juried Exhibition Receives $1000 Stipend

Posted August 20, 2008

Recent UNCP graduate Stephanie Alicea's fabricated steel sculpture entitled Blade of Grass was accepted into Bristol Virginia/Tennessee's Art in Public Places Exhibition (AIPP). Each work in this show was judged by art historian/critic Paul Ha, and will be on display in the city for a full year. Each work in this exhibition also receives a stipend of $1,000 which comes from donation from business and art collectors. Stephanie's work had the distinction of being sponsored by the Maya Lin foundation. For those who do not know Maya Lin's work as a sculptor/ maker of monuments/ artist, she is the artist who designed the Vietnam War Memorial. Stephanie is currently back home in New York painting what is, I believe, her first mural. The link to AIPP's web site.

Adam Walls was able to enter his work in AIPP as well, along with North Charleston's River Front Park Sculpture Exhibition, Charlottesville Virginia's Art in Place exhibition, Cary North Carolina's yearly sculpture competition. He is waiting to hear back from the Craven Art's Center's annual indoor/outdoor sculptural competition in New Bern, NC. It's been a very successful and rewarding summer. The link to AIPP's web site.

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	Janette Hopper Exhibit Opening

Posted August 20, 2008

August 8 - September 28, 2008
Location: Dunn Center for the Performing Arts

Meet landscape artist Janette Hopper Friday evening, August 8, at the free opening reception for an exhibition of her landscape paintings in the Mims Gallery of the Dunn Center. This exhibit of oil paintings runs through September 28 and is titled "The Lush Landscape-Poetic Spaces." Works on display are also for sale. Hopper works from nature, painting on location and in the studio. Her career spans 30 years and includes an impressive international exhibition record with work in major museum collections.View her paintings and also listen to the smooth piano stylings of Rocky Mount jazz pianist William McLaughlin.

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	Ralph Steeds' Farewell

Posted August 20, 2008

Art Department bids farewell to Ralph Steeds with exhibition

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Updated: Thursday, September 3, 2009

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