This September, the University of Missouri-Rolla will celebrate its connection to the art world with an exhibition of works by area artists whose works are already in the university collection or who have taught at UMR. The show will include works that reflect the history or missions of the university, including its unique place in the Missouri Ozarks, and will provide a source of artwork to be hung in UMR’s Havener Center.

“Art Works in Rolla III” will kick off with an opening reception at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the lobby of Castleman Hall. The reception will precede the evening’s presentation of the UMR Fall Film Series movie, What the Bleep Do We Know, which is screened at 7 p.m. in Leach Theater. The featured works will be on display in Castleman Hall until mid-December.

The Havener Center Art Acquisition Committee will solicit the public’s help, as well as that of UMR students, faculty and staff in selecting which works will be chosen for permanent display in the Havener Center.

“Rolla and campus community members will be able to vote on their favorite piece by each artist represented, as well as their top five pieces overall,” says Dr. James Bogan, Curators’ Teaching Professor of art history and film. A decision will be made by Oct. 15, when the selected works will be moved to the Havener Center for permanent display. After Oct. 15, the remaining works will be available for sale to the public.

A ballot will be provided to allow viewers of the exhibition to vote on their favorite pieces of each artist, as well as their five favorite pieces from the entire show. This survey will be used for guidance by the purchasing committee in making the final selections for the Havener Center. Students, faculty, and staff of UMR, as well as the Rolla community, are all invited to make their preferences known.

Because the works are to be hung in the new student center, they will be designed with students in mind. Subjects to be depicted include the various disciplines of UMR, from music and computer engineering to geology and cloud physics.

“The Havener Center Art Acquisition Committee was formed to develop a vision and to procure art for the Havener Center,” says Mark Potrafka, director of student life at UMR. “The vision for the new student center was to acquire pieces that exemplified the mission and history of UMR and have a timeless effect on students. The acquisition committee is working with Dr. Bogan and Artworks III to develop a local influence in the facility.”

“The Havener Center is a student-centered facility that offers first-hand experience in citizenship and educates students in leadership, social responsibility and values,” Potrafka says. “Artwork can help in the creation of an appropriate atmosphere which will stimulate students’ capacities for enjoyment of and loyalty to UMR.”

1951 UMR chemical engineering graduate George Jamieson and his wife, Barbara, have purchased and donated Dan Woodward’s epic painting Gasconade Afternoon to inaugurate the program.

Artists whose works will be displayed during the exhibition include Louis Smart, Mary Lou Corn, Theresa Emmett, Orval Reeves, Mary Lowe, Suzanne Schacher, Ray Morgan, Richard Allison, Wayne Feeler, Lynn Granneman, David Plank, Dan Woodward, Grette Herrick, Ellen Pearce, Leo Soisson, Jack Koenig, Paula Brewer, Luce Myers, and Margaret Keller. All have a historical connection to UMR.

“These are all top flight artists whose work we already know is appreciated by the university community,” says Bogan. “The university will thus be supporting a proven constituency of artists who have already been generous to the University with their visions.”

For more information about the exhibition, contact Bogan at (573) 341 4755.