Wayne State faculty shows off talent

Seven faculty members participate in an art exhibition

  • Senior Amber Reed admires Dr. Pearl Hansen’s exhibit, “Nancy’s Cow.” Hansen focuses on abstractions and landscapes.

    Tess Riecke
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  • Senior Holly Rodriguez looks upon “Duality” by Marlene Mueller.

    Tess Riecke
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  • Pearl Hansen’s “Contour On The Square.”

    Tess Riecke
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  • “Gravitation no.3” by Steve Elliot.

    Tess Riecke
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  • “Harlequin’s Dance” by Wayne Anderson.

    Tess Riecke
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Melissa Norris, Staff Writer
September 17, 2014

Got talent? The Wayne State faculty does. Once a year, Wayne’s talented faculty get to show off their skills in an exhibit all their own.

This year’s opening reception, hosted by the WSC Department of Art and Design, took place Thursday, Sept. 4 in the newly relocated Nordstrand Visual Arts Gallery. The exhibition runs until Oct. 1.

To kick off this year’s exhibit, faculty, students and guests shared food, drink and great interactions while perusing the art pieces featured.

The faculty that participated this year were Wayne Anderson, Thomas Dahlseid, Steve Elliott, Pearl Hansen, Chris Holton, Marlene Mueller, Joshua Piersanti and Leroy Von Glan.

What makes the faculty exhibition particularly special for students is seeing their instructors’ talents on display.

“It’s interesting to see the people who are educating you, their artwork and what they are capable of. It’s nice to know they can make art,” junior graphic design major Ashley Walter said.

One piece in particular that caught her eye was Marlene Mueller’s piece, “Duality.”

“I definitely like Marlene’s drawing. I like her use of charcoal and chalk to create a different image. She makes flames out of simple materials.”

Other student favorites were Dean Steve Elliott’s “Gravitation: no. 3,” made with stainless steel, and Wayne Anderson’s “Walking with Cézanne,” made with Japanese Red Pine and Sioux Quartzite.

Anderson said the inspiration for his piece came from materials he’s had for some time.

“I had that root for a while before I decided what to do with it. Cézanne looks for the cone, cylinder and sphere in nature,” Anderson said.
“There is a kind of way that the piece floats above the rock. Those things have a resonance that way.”

Anderson commented that this year’s exhibitions will take place in Peterson Fine Arts, in the old gallery, while construction is taking place in the library.

There are more faculty than ever before involved in the faculty exhibit. There is only room for one or two pieces from each faculty member, but that is typical for a faculty show.

“It’s an interesting show. There is a wide range of pieces. Hopefully, it will cause some people to come back,” Anderson said.