Woodbury Art Museum presents faculty art show

The murmur from patrons shuffling between exhibits drifted above the neatly-tiled floors and illuminated walls toward the vaulted warehouse-style ceilings of the museum.

A patron enjoys the works of faculty members at the Woodbury Art Museum.

The Woodbury Art Museum brought UVU students and faculty together with members of the community Tuesday night at the 2011 Faculty Art Show.

Soon to be celebrating ten years at its location in the University Mall in Orem, the UVU museum continues to pursue its mission to provide a venue to connect the campus population with the community while promoting artistic investigation and cultural awareness.

While the central portion of the gallery is used to spotlight specific events like faculty and student art shows, contemporary and modern art is continuously rotated from the museum collection along the perimeter of the second-story home in the mall.

Interim director Melissa Hempel, who has been the acting curator for about a year, explained that the collection is used to teach students as well as members of the community about art and culture and to inspire them to deepen their understanding of it.

“Offering that engaging aspect helps people connect more with the art, especially when you have modern or contemporary styles,” Hempel said.

John Rees, Assistant Professor in the Art and Visual Communications Department, was mingling with the attendants at the show. One of his works, a chromeogenic print titled “Kimmy,” was on display.

Rees explained that “dabbling in both worlds,” working commercially with many clients and teaching about the personal side of photography, allows him to be well rounded.

“I need to do all of it to be able to give back to the students who want to benefit from that experience,” Rees said.

Senior Marie Teemant, a Photography major in the Art and Visual Communications Department, stopped by the show to check out the faculty art and say hi to Rees, one of her teachers. Teemant explained that the museum is a place where students can come to contribute – not just by submitting exhibits, but by knowing what’s being created and to be inspired by it.

“Students who take advantage of that,” Teemant said, “can become something more.”

The museum will continue to offer free admission in its mall location, donated by the Woodbury family, and after its anticipated move to the proposed Center for the Arts on the UVU campus.