A traveling collection of art hangs in the McComas Hall gallery this month but gets carried on to new walls at the week’s end.
The exhibit “Herb and Dorothy: Glimpse into their Extraordinary Collection” in the McComas Hall gallery concludes with a guided gallery talk at 10 a.m. Friday.
The exhibit features contemporary artwork given to the Mississippi Museum of Art by New York collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel. The artwork includes pieces from contemporary artists Will Barnet, Claudia DeMonte, Cindy Sherman and Richard Tuttle.
Beth Batton, Mississippi Museum of Art curator, will lead the gallery talk. She said she will discuss the Vogels and how they compiled these works of art as well as the work that fills the Vogels’ collection.
“I’ll talk a little about Herb and Dorothy Vogel, about why and how they collected art and stuffed and stacked it into their tiny New York apartment,” she said. “I’ll talk about some of the artists, like Cindy Sherman, and about conceptual art and minimalism.”
Lori Neuenfeldt, gallery coordinator for the department of art, said she encourages students to attend the exhibit not only to view the artwork, but to gather their opinions on the artwork and talk about the work with fellow patrons.
“I want to see people get excited about art and the possibilities,” Neuenfeldt said. “I love watching people in galleries. I do more people watching than I do watching of artwork. I think in our field that sort of goes with it.”
Neuenfeldt said the exhibit brings a cosmopolitan culture to MSU that can expand horizons and enrich MSU students and Starkvillians.
“Hearing conversations and those independent discoveries made by people and then they take that into their own lives. It allows us to open up our own creative minds in our own world,” she said. “We are bringing part of the world to Starkville. I think that’s important for people to see.”
Mississippi State University galleries have been an affiliate of the Mississippi Museum of Art for eight years. This affiliation allows MSU to have museum quality art exhibits in its galleries.
Alex Vaughan, senior industrial engineering major, said she thinks it is important for students to attend galleries and view new, unfamiliar realms of art.
“I think it’s important for us to have the art exhibit on campus because it exposes us to new mediums of art in general,” Vaughan said. “We are exposed to a lot of writing in class and we hear music all the time, but a lot of times we don’t get a chance to see real art. It’s good to have it there for the people who want to see it.”
