Everything Nac

Recently created art in a variety of media will make up the annual “SFA Faculty Exhibition,” which the Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Art will open with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

The annual faculty exhibition in the Ledbetter Gallery will feature photography, paintings, metal work, ceramics and sculpture, according to John Handley, director of galleries at SFA.

“SFA is fortunate to have such a talented group of working artists creating in such a wide array of styles and media,” Handley said. “This exhibition is our annual chance to show off and highlight our talented artists.”

Also opening at the same time is the featured exhibition of Candace Hicks, assistant professor of drawing and advertising design at SFA. In the installation “Napoleon’s Wallpaper,” Hicks uses Reavley Gallery as “a puzzle box to be opened by the viewer,” she said.

Operating like a game, Hicks’ exhibition uses a combination of prints that reveal secret messages when viewed through special colored glasses. Kinetic sculptures reveal clues, and wall texts guide the viewer from station to station.

“I am using my background as a book artist to produce an exhibition of objects that look like art but are actually part of an interrelated narrative book,” she said. “Books take for granted that the viewer participation is necessary to complete the work, and ‘Napoleon’s Wallpaper’ combines a storybook, interactive puzzle and art exhibition into a room-sized installation. The viewer experiences the immersive quality of reading a mystery novel and solving the clues.”

The title, ‘Napoleon’s Wallpaper,’ refers to an anecdote regarding the cause of Napoleon’s death in which some have said he died from contact with arsenic in the dye he used to print his wallpaper, Hicks said. An expanded version of the exhibition will be presented in November at Post-Studio Projects in Houston.

Both exhibitions will run through Oct. 18.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. Regular gallery hours are from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

All art exhibitions are free and open to the public. They are sponsored in part by the SFA Friends of the Visual Arts and the Nacogdoches Junior Forum.

For additional information, call (936) 468-1131.

Matt Turner, a 2009 graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University’s forestry program and owner of Turner Fabrication, is hosting a Swedish exchange student for one month as a part of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture’s partnership with Älvdalens Educational Center in Älvdalens, Sweden.

Jonatan Jakobsson, a welding student, is completing his final year at Älvdalens, a forestry and hospitality post-secondary technical college. As a part of the curriculum, Älvdalens students are required to complete internships in their field of study. Jakobsson said the partnership between his college and the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture was a great opportunity to travel outside of Sweden and learn more about his trade.

“Texas is a beautiful state, and I wanted to see more than Sweden,” Jakobsson said.

These cross-cultural connections facilitating student growth are a big reason why Älvdalens and the college of forestry and agriculture forged the relationship.

“In many ways our students can benefit from this exchange,” said Ing-Marie Bergman, manager for marketing and internationalization at Älvdalens. “They will learn about another country, get to experience another culture and gain better appreciation of other cultures, as well as their own.”

Jakobsson will spend Aug. 15 to Sept. 15 observing the daily operations at Turner Fabrication and learning more about the business from its owner. Turner, who also holds a degree in manufacturing engineering, said he hopes to show Jakobsson more about how the business world operates because the transition from school to the working world can sometimes be difficult for students.

The whir of machinery at Turner’s fabrication is in sharp contrast to the quiet forests of East Texas where he studied as an SFA student, but he maintains close ties to the faculty.

“We’ve known Matt as a student, a colleague and a friend,” said Dr. Hans Williams, associate dean of SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry.

Turner’s history with the college and his local metal fabrication business presented the perfect opportunity to provide a valuable experience for Jakobsson, Williams said.

This summer, five SFA students also visited Älvdalens, Sweden, where they learned about Swedish history and forestry practices. For information on this and related topics, visit the college of forestry and agriculture’s website at www.atcofa.sfasu.edu.