Sustainable art seems to be maintaining a considerable amount of interest from both local and distant communities thanks to the student-featuring Eco Art Student Exhibition in Biggin Hall.
From now until Sept. 1, the exhibit will showcase paintings, drawings, artbooks, installations and sculptures created by students ranging from freshmen to seniors.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Department of Art as part of its yearlong "Art in Agriculture" initiative in collaboration with the College of Agriculture.
"The whole year was based on artists and programming bringing together science and art in a way that people normally don't think co-exist," said Barry Fleming, associate professor and Department of Art chair.
Professors hand-picked the displayed art from their students' work throughout the year.
"They picked the work they thought was the best from the classes dealing with sustainability issues," Fleming said.
Christopher McNulty, associate professor of art, said the artwork chosen was produced by students in introductory design, drawing, sculpture and intermediate courses.
"The initiative featured a series of themed exhibitions, lectures, panel discussions, workshops and activities that focused on the practical, ethical and aesthetic components of issues such as water conservation, gardening, eco-art and sustainability," McNulty said. "Participants included regional, national and international artists, scientists, writers and thinkers."
In the middle of the exhibit sit sculptures, and lining the walls are drawings produced with all different media.
"The artwork stemmed out of the curriculum," said Barb Bondy, the exhibition coordinator, who described the exhibition as unique because it is made by students and is concerning current environmental issues.
The first semester of this past school year incorporated this initiative into the curriculum by focusing on water. The second semester focused on dirt and gardening, Fleming said.
The department sponsored another exhibit in the fall, titled "Water: Three States." This focused on the water wars between Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The artists whose work was shown in that exhibition were all from one of those three states.
Vet school students from other schools and other professionals working in science fields in surrounding areas have called the department to say Auburn is on the leading edge of bringing the two fields of science and art together, Fleming said.
The exhibit is free and open to the public from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. in Biggin Hall, Room 101.
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