Northern Kentucky University’s School of the Arts’ (SOTA) latest exhibition highlights artwork created by faculty members during their sabbaticals. Open through Feb. 20, the show combines different mediums and styles from five art professors, all of whom decided to channel their inner students and explore.
“We have a habit sometimes, as creatives, to censor ourselves and not reveal something until it’s perfect, exactly what we wanted—totally polished. I think it’d be really freeing to let go of that,” said Rachael Banks, professor of photography.
Banks and her colleagues used their sabbatical to play and create without constraints. Banks’ photography ranges from deer hunting to race car driving, both activities she grew up surrounded by. Although she describes the show as an unfinished “kitchen-sink” medley of ideas, an underlying theme of family and legacy ties her work together.
“If I’m doing something different and experimental and I’m not sure where it’s going to go, there’s no better place to display it than at a school where students can see,” Banks said.
Kevin Muente, professor of painting, showcases sun-drenched summer scenes to Arctic landscapes with snow falling across the canvas. Like Banks’ exhibition, his is a “little bit of everything,” representing the productive period spent outside the classroom.
“I’m grateful to have had the time to create these without worrying about content, but just for the love of drawing and honing my observation skills,” Muente wrote in his artist statement.
At the opening reception in the main gallery, students crowded around their professors as they discussed art. Those attending appreciated seeing their teachers’ creative endeavors on display.
“Knowing our professors are doing professional work and they’re given these opportunities, it allows us to engage with them more, and it furthers our art and our perspectives of what it’s like to work in the real world,” said painting student Sarah Roszell.
Across the hall, the small SOTA gallery features work by Nicholas Bonner, a professor who recently retired after 25 years at NKU leading the art foundations program. The show serves as a farewell tribute.
His work comprises ceramic sculptures that twist, bend, overlap and intertwine in eccentric shapes. For inspiration, Bonner revisited unfinished thoughts left in sketchbooks and brought them to life. He hopes to convey the importance of keeping ideas through sketching. Faculty members also take these opportunities to show students that they, too, practice what is taught in class.
“It’s very important for all of the faculty in the art department; we all have student practices, and it’s very important to bring that work into a context where you can see what we are doing and understand why we require all the things that we require,” Bonner said.
Other featured artists in the faculty sabbatical exhibition include Marc Leone, Matthew Albritton and JeeEun Lee. All showcase unique and thought-provoking works.
