Recently, we received an update from C.R. Neighborgall regarding the progress:

• Concretefoundationsfor steelbraceframeshavebeen

poured.Thesesteelframeswillextendfromthebasementtotheroof,addinglateralstabilitytothebuilding.

• Therewerelargeopeningsateveryfloorwheretheold

Stone&Thomas(MUVAC)buildingandtheBrohbuilding(totheeast)wereusedasone.Theseopeningshavebeensealedoffwithmasonrywalls.

• Anewelevatorpitisunderconstruction.

• Anewfiresuppressionsystemwatersupplyisbeinginstalledinthefrontsectionofthebuilding

• Masonryrestorationontheexteriorofthebuildingisproceeding.Theeastwalliscomplete.Themasonrycontractoriscurrentlyworkingonthenorthwall.

• Theexistingfloorstructureisbeingmodifiedtoallowthenewsteelbraceframestopassfromfloortofloor.Holesarebeingcutinthefloorsandadditionalfloorframingisbeinginstalled.

C O L L E G E O F F I N E A R T S

arshallM D owntown

Visual Arts Center construction progress reportNeighborgall Construction continues to make strides toward completion of the Visual Arts Center.

In the alley, provisions are being made for the new main electric power feed. The alley will be closed periodically through May for this work. As has been the case from the beginning, the traffic lanes on 3rd Avenue will be closed intermittently for material deliveries; two-way traffic on 3rd Avenue will be maintained. Neighborgall Construction, the rest of the construction team, and the College of Fine Arts appreciate the wonderful cooperation we have received from all of the neighboring businesses.

Student profile: Jillian Smallwood Jillian Smallwood is an art student in the College of Fine Arts at Marshall. She grew up in North Carolina, but her family relocated to Summersville, WV to be closer to relatives.

What is your visual art emphasis? My area of art emphasis is printmaking. Initially I was a graphic design student, but after taking a class with Professor Peter Massing, I fell in love with the medium of printmaking. I get tired of sitting in front of a computer. Printmaking is the forefather of graphic design. It’s more hands on, more personal, and I get a sense of accomplishment when I pull my final prints. Recently I have fallen in love with what is known as lithography. This method allows me to do a drawing and then make multiple prints. I pull inspiration from everywhere. I’m a history minor so I tend to like to relate past events with current ones.

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Photo rendering courtesy Edward Tucker Architects, Inc., Huntington.

Marshall University is transforming the old Stone & Thomas building on 3rd Avenue across from Pullman Square into a downtown Visual Arts Center. The center will house studios and classrooms, plus ground-floor retail and gallery space to draw tourists and local shoppers.

Volume 1, Issue No. 2

w w w . m a r s h a l l . e d u / c o f a

Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e V i s u a l A r t s C e n t e r c a l l ( 3 0 4 ) 6 9 6 - 6 4 3 3 o r e m a i l c o f a @ m a r s h a l l . e d u

Dear Downtown Neighbor:

Marshall’s College of Fine Arts strives to be a good neighbor in our community. This newsletter is but one example of our outreach efforts to keep the community informed and engaged.

We invite you to join many of our Huntington area neighbors in supporting our annual “Empty Bowls” fundraiser which serves hungry residents in the tri-state area.

The annual event, now in its 10th year, will take place from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm, Friday, April 19, at First Presbyterian Church, 1015 5th Avenue.

For a $12 donation, patrons receive a modest soup lunch and a handmade ceramic bowl crafted by our art students, with all proceeds benefiting the Huntington Area Food Bank. Each year, many ceramic students spend months preparing nearly 1,000 bowls to contribute to this event. Participants pick their one-of-a-kind bowl, and go through a soup line. The lunch is intended to be modest as a reminder to participants that many people in the tri-state area go hungry.

Each dollar raised at Empty Bowls translates to 10 pounds of food for our hungry neighbors. The Huntington Area Food Bank serves around 100,000 people each month in 17 counties in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. Nearly 20,000 of those are in Cabell County.

Empty Bowls is a partnership made possible by many organizations and volunteers including Christian Associates, B’nai Sholom Congregation, First Presbyterian Church, area schools, churches, restaurants and more. It is the spirit of our community and the generosity of our neighbors that make this event so successful. Please join the College of Fine Arts and many of your neighbors at Empty Bowls on April 19!

For more information on Empty Bowls, contact Jaye Ike by phone at (304) 696-3296 or by e-mail at jaye.ike@marshall.edu.

Student profile: Jillian Smallwood Fibers: weaving as a means of individual expression, while studying traditional and contemporary techniques for loom-controlled manipulation of fibers. Students learn to operate a variety of looms including table looms, counterbalance, jack-type and dobby looms.

Foundations: classes including two-dimensional design and drawing, where studio coursework is project-driven, in which students respond to specific assignments that are designed to highlight essential concepts and skills. Three-dimensional design, along with ceramics and sculpture courses, are taught in the Art Warehouse on campus.

Graphic Design: students work in an engaging environment where technical and conceptual problems are continuously presented. Through the practice of solving these problems, students develop their own individual strengths, gain social and historical context, and make connections between disciplines. Courses include print design, new media, and illustration.

Painting: emphasis is on oil painting, but other media are encouraged, including watercolor. Clear guidelines cultivate reflection with intuition and discipline with craft.

Photography: concentrates on the practice of photography as a fine art – a means personal expression. Students explore photographic materials and practices in order to create challenging and stimulating images.

Printmaking: students are exposed to contemporary approaches utilizing printmaking techniques for the development of ideas and art, on and off paper. Students concentrate on the investigation of form and content as it relates to printmaking processes in intaglio, lithography, relief, serigraphy, letterpress, and papermaking.

What’s your favorite thing about visual arts at Marshall? I love the program because we are like a tight-knit family. At times we students can be a little dysfunctional, but overall the professors are always pushing us towards amazing opportunities.

What do you think will be beneficial about moving visual arts downtown? Space. The School of Art and Design has really grown over the last few years and more space, with modern facilities that will accommodate our needs, will be a huge benefit to the students as we prepare for the real world market. It also puts us in an area where we can share our creativity with an audience – the public. I feel that this new building will really allow the department to grow. It will help recruit great artists. And allow us a space to showcase our work to the community.

Many areas of art and design to be housed in MU’s Visual Arts Center

Art Education: study prepares students for teaching art in elementary and secondary settings.

Art History: provides a strong foundation in the history and theory of art, with a focus on the Western tradition. Students with majors as diverse as anthropology and English routinely take art history courses for enrichment, and any student may minor in art history.

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