by Lornna Bates
Managing editor
The SE Visual Arts and Ceramic Organization and SE Visual Art presented the first of the Art Dog Fridays for the SE campus Friday, Nov. 4.
The Art Dog Fridays event offered SE artists junior Russell Poole and senior Nichole Miller an opportunity to display pieces of their artwork for the campus and community to appreciate throughout the week of Monday, Oct. 31. Both SE students are graphic design and visual media majors.
The event also offers the campus and community an opportunity to view pieces of selected artists each week.
“Our hope is that the Art Dog Fridays will attract students and faculty from other disciplines and expose them to the great art work being created by our art students,” said Jack Ousey, associate professor of art.
Each Friday, the Visual Arts Building will host a lunch of grilled hot dogs, along with the fixings, in exchange for a donation to the art effort.
“This is not a money-making event,” said Ousey. “We just hope to recoup enough money to pay for the following week’s reception.”
An artist reception and hot dog lunch will take place on the Friday of each week between 12 and 1:30 p.m.
Every Friday, there will be a different artist or artists to display works of art. The artist(s) will change paintings on Fridays at about 2:30 p.m., shortly after the Friday hot dog luncheon, said Miller.
Artists will be chosen at random. However, when asked, Poole and Miller said they were chosen based on artwork availability at short notice and the two were ready to go.
Poole said the event would also most likely be expanded on into the spring semester of 2012, in addition to being continued for the remaining weeks of the fall 2011 semester.
Artwork will be displayed each week in Gallery 133 of the Visual Arts Building.
Funds raised from the events will go to the Visual Arts and Ceramic Organization. VACO provides funding for such student opportunities as the Chili Bowl campus event, which Ousey said would be held next spring, possibly February or March.
The Caddo Festival, a ceramicas symposium and dance performance, is also a VACO-funded opportunity for art students to display work. The festival includes an art show, ceramics and a dance performance. Last year’s event was held Saturday, March 12 at the Oklahoma History Center.
The fifth annual Raku Rumble, a part of the Fall 2011 Fine Art Tour, occurred Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5-6. This event is yet another opportunity for SE artists and faculty alike to demonstrate their artistic talent. The Raku Rumble was presented by the Denison Art and Cultural District.