campus news & events

Colby-Sawyer College to Host Annual Faculty Art Exhibition

NEW LONDON, N.H., Oct. 26, 2010 – Colby-Sawyer will host the annual Faculty Art Exhibition, featuring professors' recent work in ceramics, graphic design, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture.

The exhibition opens with a reception on Thursday, Nov. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Marian Graves Mugar Art Gallery and Sawyer Center Lobby Gallery. The public is invited to attend and admission is free. The show runs through Dec. 17.

As part of the college's Artist and Scholar Lecture Series, Associate Professor of Art Bert Yarborough will lead a Gallery Talk about the current faculty exhibition, with special emphasis on his own work as a painter. The talk takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 12 to 1 p.m. and the public is welcome to attend. Admission is free.

The exhibition features works by faculty members of the Fine and Performing Arts Department including Loretta Barnett; Deborah Campbell; David Ernster; Nicholas Gaffney; Brandy Gibbs-Riley; Jon Keenan; Michael Lovell; Mary Mead; Kristin Tupper and Bert Yarborough.

Loretta Barnett, who works in sculpture and mixed media, joined the faculty in 1978. She holds an M.F.A. from Ohio State University. Deborah Campbell, an adjunct assistant professor with a B.S. from Northeastern University, teaches courses in visual identity and branding. She will exhibit small landscape oil paintings that feature scenery from the countryside of Stowe, Vt.

David Ernster, who earned an M.F.A. from West Virginia University, teaches ceramics courses as a faculty-in-residence. Ernster describes his recent work in clay as a collection that focuses on the traditional function of ceramics and the pertinence of these cultural traditions in modern society. Nicholas Gaffney, who joined Colby-Sawyer in 2008, will exhibit his photography. Gaffney teaches courses in photography and new media. He holds an M.F.A. from Pratt Institute.

Brandy Gibbs-Riley, who came to Colby-Sawyer in 2007, will feature works in graphic design and mixed media. She teaches courses in all aspects of graphic design and holds a M.F.A. from Boston University. Jon Keenan teaches courses in ceramics, East Asian art history, the honors program and visual arts. His recent work in clay features hand and wheel-built anagama wood-fired ceramics. Keenan's pieces are both sculptural and functional, and he explains, “My ultimate goal is to make work which is compelling, enriching and responsive to our daily experience.” Keenan joined the Colby-Sawyer faculty in 1990 and holds a C.A.G.S./M.F.A. from Kyoto University of Fine Arts Graduate School.

Paintings by Michael Lovell will also be featured in the exhibition. Lovell comes to Colby-Sawyer with a M.F.A. from School of the Art Institute of Chicago and serves as technical director of the Sawyer Fine Arts Center. Lovell also teaches stagecraft at the college. Mary Mead, who teaches courses in printmaking and foundations, will show new prints that combine silkscreen, monoprint imagery and woodcut techniques. Mead holds an M.F.A. from Boston Museum School/Tufts University.

Kristin Tupper teaches beginner through advanced watercolor classes at Colby-Sawyer. A graduate of Bridgewater College, she will exhibit her recent work in watercolor painting. Bert Yarborough, who joined Colby-Sawyer in 1997, teaches courses in painting, drawing and the professional practices and portfolio capstone course. He holds an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa.

To learn more about the fine and performing arts at Colby-Sawyer College, visit the web site at www.colby-sawyer.edu/arts


Colby-Sawyer College is a comprehensive college that integrates the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation. Founded in 1837, Colby-Sawyer is located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire.

Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000