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Michael K. Paxton - Interpolated
September 12 – October 19, 2023
Reception: Tuesday, September 12, 4:30-6:00

Michael K. Paxton a well-established Chicago fine artist who is also a sixth generation West Virginian with a career that now spans fifty years.

His awards include a grant from the Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Foundation, Inc., New York; Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in Visual Art Award and two Professional Development Grants; Fellowships with both Air le Parc, ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ and Research Center, Pampelonne, France and Jentel Artist Residency Program, Banner, Wyoming; a Marshall University Alumni Award of Distinction; Individual Artist Program Grant, DCASE, Chicago; six Professional Development Grants from Columbia College, Chicago; two CAAP Grants, Chicago, IL; Open Studio Residency, Department of Cultural Affairs, Chicago, IL and a Purchase Prize, fom the Chicago Federation of Labor, Chicago, IL.

Andréa Connell - Hold On
August 22 – September 20, 2023
Reception: Wednesday, September 20, 4:30-6:00

Andréa Keys Connell is an Associate Professor of Ceramics in the Department of Art at Appalachian State University. She is a former Fountainhead Fellow and served as the Head of the Clay Area in the Department of Craft/Material Studies at VCU from 2010-17.

Andréa’s work has been featured in a number of national and international publications and she has widely exhibited her work. She has had 19 solo exhibitions in various galleries and museums since 2009, including The Florida Holocaust Museum and The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. Andréa also works on large-scale public art commissions such as the See Also endowment commission with the Cleveland Public Library.

Along with exhibiting her work and teaching at App State, Andréa has taught workshops on figure sculpting at various craft schools across the country including Penland, Haystack, Arrowmont, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC.

Kait Steward - Here Nor There
ANNEX GALLERY
September 5 - September 28 (instead of 29)
Reception: Thursday, September 28, 4:30-6:00

Kait Steward is an emerging artist located in Carbondale, Illinois. She recently completed her Masters of Fine Arts at Southern Illinois University (2023) after completing her Bachelors of Fine Arts at Murray State University (2019). Her work has been exhibited both regionally and nationally. She often instructs introductory art courses with the Commonwealth Honors Academy at Murray State University, and currently works as a Program Assistant for Artspace304, a local arts non-profit in southern Illinois.

Biennial Faculty Exhibition
October 3 – October 27, 2023
Reception: Tuesday, October 10, 4:30-6:00

Marc Nelson - The Caesar Files: War Crimes in the Digital Age
ANNEX GALLERY
October 24 – November 17, 2023
Reception: Tuesday, October 24, 4:30-6:00

Marc Nelson was born and raised in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Marc earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, an Art Education teaching certificate from ´ºÓêÖ±²¥ Illinois University, and a Masters in Art degree from Eastern Illinois University. Marc’s paintings and drawings have been featured on CNN, BBC, DW, AJ+, NPR, CBC, The New York Times, Amnesty International, award winning documentaries, and other news and human rights agencies and publications. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and appears in public and private collections around the world.. Marc and his wife, writer and educator Jill Bartelt, live and work in Kewanee, Illinois.

Sara Dismukes - mishearing Mnemosyne
November 6 – December 15, 2023
Reception: Monday, November 6, 4:30-6:00

Sara Dismukes is a multidisciplinary artist and educator currently living in Montgomery, Alabama. She is a member of the art and design faculty at Troy University. Her studio practice includes drawing, painting and graphic design, as well as traditional bookbinding.

Talent Grant & Tuition Waiver
November 6 – November 28, 2023
Reception: Monday, November 6, 4:30-6:00

Mackenzie White – BFA Exhibition
December 5 – December 15, 2023
Reception: Tuesday, December 5, 4:30-6:00

"Much of my work focuses on personal attachment to self-perception. I have always been drawn to depicting people, and in my most recent works, I have focused on the depiction of myself in various methods of discernible expression. This exploration of self comes out visually in the form of written text, rendered oil portraits, line drawing, and collages of other works. Exploring the idea of the self in 2-D media helps me to map out perception of experiences while trying to understand the space that I take up. It helps me ask why my mind focuses on certain thoughts and not others within my artistic practice. Environments are not always tangible in what I am depicting, but the figure is usually taking up some form of space. Movement is the most important factor in my practice as well as documentation of past experiences. I can not only move forward with a different perspective and mindset, but I can also look back on my past thoughts and technical artistic process. That is why creating is pivotal for helping me understand my place and purpose during a specific moment in time. There will always be something new to explore, regardless of my focus or interest at that given moment."