by Jacque Oldfield
Daily Lobo
UNM's Masley Art Gallery unveiled the Art Education Alumni Exhibit on Tuesday, March 11 featuring over 50 works by 35 different alumni artists.
Masley Gallery Curator Melissa Bruce and Gallery Faculty Director Linney Wix assembled the collection and had the difficult job of selecting which pieces would be displayed in the scant 800 square foot gallery space.
The result is an eclectic mix of watercolors, oils, monotype prints, beaded jewelry, cloisonnÇ enamel, porcelain, clay and mixed-media sculpture. The collection is a colorful mÇlange as diverse as the artists themselves.
Wix is also the coordinator of the art education program.
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"This is the only gallery in the College of Education," Wix said. "Although space will always be an issue, we are really grateful to have the space. Our focus is art and education, so our goal is to exhibit works that speak to both those disciplines."
Louise Waldron received her Ph.D. in art education from UNM in 1983. Waldron was influenced to pursue a career in art by Emily Von Auw, the founder of UNM's Fine Arts Department.
For this exhibit Waldron shares three impressionistic pieces in oil, "Tijeras Holy Child," "Church" and "Elena Gallegos."
During her career Waldron has taught at UNM and TVI. She retired after working 20 years with the Albuquerque Public Schools system. After more than 20 years in the art and education fields, Waldron gives this advice to young artists.
"Just go where the art is and concentrate on the media you like the most and work at producing as much as you can," Waldron said.
Waldron says the chances of an unknown artist finding space in a Santa Fe gallery are slim.
"They [gallery owners] will tell you to get lost," Waldron said.
She added that most gallery owners have their own "camp" of artists they draw from, "unless you have a really good name or you know somebody, it's almost impossible to get in up there."
Popular local artist Sandra Humphries offers an earthy abstract monotype entitled "New Beginnings Series." Humphries received her masters in art education from UNM in 1992 and went on to establish her own Albuquerque gallery.
As a gallery owner, Humphries looked for a cohesive theme when considering new works.
"First of all, you have to create a consistent body of work, you know, and get a rÇsumÇ and some slides. I actually preferred photos to slides," she said. "Then you make an appointment. When I had the gallery people would come in wanting to be represented, sometimes they would bring pieces that weren't consistent. What I was looking for was a body of work made up of pieces that looked very similar."
Exhibitor Susan Moody currently teaches art at La Cueva High School. She received her master's degree in art education from UNM in 1983. Moody created the delicate iconic cloisonnÇ and champleve enamel pieces on display at Masley.
Originally from New Jersey, artist Ann Shannon-Feigny graduated from UNM in 1960 with a master's degree in art education. Shannon-Feigny's watercolor "Monastery Lake" depicts a stand of trees in full fall color reflected in a Pecos-area lake.
"It's neat to come back here and see my art up in the gallery," she said. "I remember Dr. Masley because I had him as a professor. I used to call him to get recommendations, he was really wonderful."
Shannon-Feigny is retired and lives in Santa Fe where she is a full time artist.
The Art Education Alumni Exhibits will be on display March 11 to April 4. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Many of the pieces are for sale and prices range from $75 to $875. Twenty percent of the proceeds will go directly to support the Masley Gallery.
