From towering metal sculptures to interactive computer graphics, to striking portraits and expansive landscapes, the Faculty and Alumni Art Exhibit at the Lander University Art Gallery offered a vibrant display of artistic expression across a range of genres.
A reception for the featured artists was held on February 13 as part of the week-long Homecoming activities at the University. In all, 12 faculty members and 15 alumni were featured in the exhibit.
Alumni contributors included Chelsey Ashford, Laura B. Wood, KJ Campbell, Brianna Clayton, Chloe Compton, Kephira Davis, Gene Ellenburg, Tyler Frasier, Ashley Garcia, Cameron Lusk, Jamea Marlowe, Fiona Newell, Molly Ott, Jenny Thackham and Sean Thrasher.
Here’s a closer look at some of the alumni featured in this exhibit:
Cameron Lusk, a 2016 Lander graduate, finds inspiration in abandoned and forgotten buildings across the Southeastern United States. His piece, “Watertower,” embodies his passion for capturing the hidden beauty of old industrial structures.
“The vast majority of buildings I’ve painted were once thriving mills, hospitals and factories that played a vital role in the region’s economic growth,” Lusk explained.
Jamea Marlowe, who earned her bachelor’s degree in visual arts from Lander in 2018 and later completed her teaching certificate at East Carolina University, contributed an oil painting that reflects her artistic mission.
"Much of my recent work brings awareness to the experiences of Black and brown youth in education while also exploring my journey through motherhood," she said. Marlowe hopes her art inspires viewers to “reflect, connect and celebrate.”
Laura Brown Wood earned her B.S. in visual arts in 2016 and an MBA in 2024, both from Lander. Currently a photographer for the university, Wood views photography as “a gateway to conversation, an artistic tool to tell a story.”
Her entry, “The Passage,” was taken at Dawes Glacier in Endicott Arm, Alaska.
Brianna Clayton, a Greenwood native, has been creating art since she was old enough to pick up a crayon. Initially drawn to paint, charcoal and sand, she later expanded her artistic practice to include steel, wool, and clay during her time at Lander.
Her mixed-media piece, “Epiphany,” displayed in the exhibit showcases this evolution.
Ashley Garcia discovered her passion for art after taking an introductory ceramics class at sixteen. “That foundational experience led me to Lander, where I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 3D,” she shared.
Garcia’s work explores the intersection of reality and imagination, yielding dream-inspired, surrealistic pieces that often incorporate spiritual symbols and animal motifs.
Faculty contributors include Kymberly Day, Andrea Garland, Jon Holloway, Danea Males, Doug McAbee, James Romaine, Katherine Rumminger, Sandy Shore, Jim Slagle, Elizabeth Snipes, Asma Nazim-Starnes and Kelsey Wise.
The exhibit was sponsored by Self Regional Medical Center. For more information about Lander University’s art programs visit www.lander.edu/arts.