State-of-the-ART

By Ernesto Macias
Midland College student

This fall, MC’s drawing and printmaking instructor, Dagan Sherman, can be seen in his lab at the Allison Fine Arts Building with a HUGE smile on his face. The new Hanley Printmaking Lab has been renovated, and Sherman says, “We now have a full program, complete with etchings, new presses and the best equipment out there!”

The lab was officially introduced to the Midland community on Friday evening, October 14, during the Midland Arts Association/Midland College 34th Annual Fall Juried Art Exhibit. The state-of-the art facility was donated by Virginia Hanley and her late husband Alvin “Doc.” Virginia took her first MC drawing class from Associate Vice President of Instruction Dr. Stan Jacobs when the classes were still held at The Stables at the Museum of the Southwest in the early 1970s.

Jacobs, who served as master-of-ceremonies for the evening’s events, fondly recalls those early days at the museum: “There wasn’t much room, and so each class could only accommodate about 10 students at the most. Virginia was always there with a smile on her face, and produced beautiful work right from the start.”

In addition to drawing, Hanley also took her first printmaking class during those early days in the stables. She was then “hooked” and became an ongoing student in MC’s printmaking classes and workshops. “When the college started offering regular printmaking classes, I started taking them each semester!” says Hanley.

During the evening’s events, participants were able to purchase copies of the book Hanley co-wrote with her sister Cherry Jamison. The book entitled Two Ways of Seeing: Two Sisters contains artwork by Hanley and poems by Jamison, and both sisters enjoyed autographing copies of the book for friends and other art aficionados in the new Hanley Printmaking Lab.
In addition to the opening of the Hanley Printmaking Lab, the evening also included the presentation of more than $4,000 in award money, which was given to 18 artists during the opening reception of the exhibit in McCormick Gallery, Allison Fine Arts building.

The Best of Show award went to Barbara Noll for her oil painting Catch Me If You Can; besides the recognition by her peers, she also received a $750 award. The piece was sold by the end of the night! “It was a big surprise, I was just amazed,” Noll said. “It was truly a blessing.”

The exhibit displays 140 pieces and was juried by Karen Fedri, owner of Fedri Fine Art, LLC, in Dallas. “With over 100 artists submitting more than 250 artworks spanning diverse media, genres, techniques and voice, it was both a thrilling and daunting process to select the 140 pieces exhibited in the show,” Fedri said. “I felt each artist included in the exhibition had created something an art collector would want to acquire for their own collection,”

More than half of the award winners have taken art classes at the college, many from Jacobs. “Having former and current students participate in this event is always a pleasure,” Jacobs said.

The exhibit hangs through Nov. 11. McCormick Gallery hours are 8 a.m. - 10 p.m., Monday - Thursday, and 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Friday.