The faculty in the art department at Hastings College have truly made the Jackson Dinsdale Arts Center gallery their own this month as the space played host to an art exhibition composed entirely of art by professors in the JDAC.
The show covers a variety of different media, from 2D and 3D art to the disciplines that make our art department special, like metal, glass, ceramics, and wood.
Fourth year art and marketing major Melinda Montoya found this show particularly intriguing and inspiring as she prepares to graduate. “The faculty show is a way for them to have their own ‘mini senior thesis,’ It’s a really good example for me to know what the standards are for my own senior thesis coming up. It’s pretty much exactly what it’s supposed to look like,” Montoya said.
Montoya herself is a ceramics emphasis, and she held great respect for the four large bust statues Jerome Dubas created for his component of the program, called his “Healing Series.”
“I’ve only done a few figurative things, but seeing him be able to make those on such a large scale, I understand how skilled you have to be to do that… It’s amazing to go in and think ‘Wow, our professors are so talented, and we can learn so much from them,’” Montoya said.
This art show also served as a reminder to students that art can be a form of communication. Montoya said, “art is like a voice, and you want to teach your students to have a voice and what art can mean, no matter what it represents. All the collections are just great examples of ways art can be used as a voice and a form of expression.”
Professor of ceramics, Jerome Dubas also believes that faculty exhibitions are important. “Professors are active in their artmaking. They are professional artists as well as educators. Faculty shows provide a venue to showcase the work being created by them. And, as the instructor of our capstone class, Senior Thesis, students find it very important to see their mentors currently creating their own work outside of the teaching day. There is a direct correlation between the professor’s professional practices and what the thesis students are learning about.”
For professor Turner McGehee, his studio work and opportunities to display his art influences how he teaches. “My latest discoveries in my own studio influence what I have to say to my students daily. The act of working with students– discussing the acts of creation, discussing influential artists, solving technical problems with students– gives me new ideas about what I want to do in my studio.”