A few MSU staff and faculty members took it upon themselves Tuesday to spend their lunch in the Kresge Art Museum, taking in original art pieces by undergraduate students.
The self-guided tour was held for free in a program called Sharing Art and Cultural Events on Campus, sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center. The center offers tours monthly, highlighting different cultural aspects of campus.
Mary Mertz-Smith, an executive assistant to the vice president of government affairs, said she appreciates a lot of the artwork Kresge has to offer and was happy to devote her lunch break to observe art.
“I love the African corner,” Mertz-Smith said as she viewed an African sculpture. “It is so awesome.
“With the yellow background as contrast, the displays just pops right out at you.”
Studio art junior Megan Rhodes has three pieces of her art displayed at Kresge and says people who visit can “indulge their senses in something different.”
“Art releases a lot of emotion and it is a good vehicle to explain your feelings, be it personal or public,” Rhodes said. “It’s also a form of release for anxiety and tension.”
Rhodes’ favorite piece of art she has on display is titled “Truth Through Form.”
“It is an outline of a woman’s figure.” she said. “I like it because it is a simple statement.”
April Kingsley, Kresge curator and acting director, said the current undergraduate exhibit takes a look at student art in graphic design, sculptures and drawings and African American Art. The student art will be on display until Sunday.
“The art displayed is every medium,” Kingsley said. “The art is very energetic and a very lively show.”
Judy McQueen, educational coordinator for the Women’s Resource Center, helps coordinate the Sharing Art and Cultural Events on Campus program.
McQueen says the program hosts about 10 tours throughout the campus every month.
“I think that sometimes we just get too busy,” she said. “We don’t take the time to look at some of the jewels we have on campus.”
To find out about upcoming tours through the “Sharing Art and Cultural Events on Campus” program, view the Women’s Resource Center Web site at www.msu.edu/~wrc.
