Department of Art Distinguished Alumni Exhibition

March 23 - April 25, 2009

The USU Department of Art Project Gallery, a newly named gallery space in the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, presents a new art exhibition featuring work by seven distinguished alumni from Utah State University. This exhibition is the final event in a year-long celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the university’s Department of Art.

Sponsored by the USU Department of Art and the Caine School of the Arts, the Department of Art Distinguished Alumni Exhibition opens March 23 and continues through April 25. "The artists and scholars with work in the exhibition represent continuity from one century to another and span 30 years of education in studio and scholarly disciplines," said Art Department Head Carolyn Cardenas.

"What makes this alumnus show so remarkable is that everyone included in the exhibition has parlayed his or her student experiences into a successful professional career," Cardenas said. "I believe that these extraordinary individuals have in common a solid foundation in the arts that was perpetrated through the Art Department at USU. The faculty members here are still committed to developing excellence in the practice, teaching, and scholarship of the visual arts."

The artists included in the exhibition were chosen by current faculty in the Department of Art and include Heather Ferrell (art history and photography, BFA '94), Brad Schwieger (ceramics, MFA '84), Scott Rockwood (graphic design, BFA '75), Jon Rappleye (painting, BFA '92), Steve Smith (photography, BFA '86), Abigail Knowlton Israelsen (printmaking, BFA '00), and Shelia Nadimi (sculpture, MFA '95). The show is also co-curated by Heather Ferrell.