On Sept. 19 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center recognized the talents of Auburn affiliates in the opening reception of their Fall Invitational Art Exhibition: AU Connection. The exhibition showcased 23 works from 12 artists, including both current and former Auburn University affiliates.
Throughout the evening, the artists mingled and discussed each other’s works, achievements and artistic process. The exhibition proved to be a reconnection for artists of the Auburn Family.
“I think it is crucial to highlight the work of artists in our local community. Local artists reflect the unique culture, history and identity of a community. Showcasing their work creates a deep connection between the art and the audience,” said Emillie Dombrowski, Art Education Specialist for the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center.
According to Dombrowski, her work is incredibly rewarding. She has the opportunity to "foster creativity with community member of all ages every day.”
The importance and recognition of local art does not go unnoticed in the AU Connection Exhibition. The selection of artists, determined by the Auburn Arts Association, varies from alumni of Auburn University, current and retired professors and past curators for the Julie Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art.
The diverse collection of talent, collectively fostered through experience at Auburn University, stand testament to the importance of community.
“I hope that attendees this evening get the opportunity to see some amazing art work and connect with other community members," Dombrowski said.
Through Auburn University, artists of the exhibit were able to explore their creative niches and garner resources to support their artistic careers. Auburn alumna Donna Young found her beginning as an artist through the courses provided at Auburn.
“All the different classes I took as a student, from two dimensional design classes to drawing classes, to figure drawing, to painting classes, all just kind of gave me a well rounded education," Young said.
The application of Young’s various courses is apparent through her collages and oil paintings in the exhibition. Young likes to utilize thick paint in her works to create texture on the canvas that seems to build off towards the viewer.
She stated that after she graduated from Auburn, she continued to take classes with retired professor Hugh Williams.
“He would let people come out to his house in the country, and he had a weekly painting class. So I kind of continued my own connection,” Young said.
Williams retired as Alumni Professor Emeritus of Art in 1992, but kept close with former students who shared his passion for art.
Young recalled her lessons with Hugh Williams and the impact he left on her artistic process.
“He said, ‘Look around you and see what you have a lot of that you could make art with," Young recalled of Williams.
Young truly lives by this process in her collage pieces in the exhibition. Her oil collage contains pieces of recycled cardboard from her business here in Auburn, “Behind The Glass”.
Her experience at Auburn University and support from that community stimulated her artistic growth and live through her works today.
Another local artist highlighted in tonight’s exhibition was that of Chuck Hemard, the current Department Chair of Art and Art History, who has taught photography for the past 16 years at Auburn University.
Hemard specializes in capturing the longleaf pinelands of the Deep South, especially those within the local or regional atmosphere, making Auburn University a perfect place for him to enrich his photographic portfolio.
“I think being at Auburn … I saw that the School of Forestry had a center for the study of longleaf pines, and that’s like, the tree that was in the forest where I grew up," said Hemard.
Although Hemard comes from New Orleans, he can find inspiration from personal experience and grow here in Auburn.
His images on display at the exhibition capture the environment of southeastern forests, specifically the aftermath of controlled burns in pine forests of Alabama and the dense fog in similar pine forests in the Florida panhandle.
The importance of local exhibitions shines through when one simply asks an artist about their work and witnesses the glee of an artist presenting their passions. Hemard shares this notion.
“I always like participating in local exhibitions because a lot of times it’s art faculty here. Our research is to make art and exhibit it — it’s nice to do things locally, to give back to the community here in Auburn," Hemard said.
The AU Connection will remain open to the public at the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center through Oct. 19.
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