Maria Palmer, senior art education major, displayed art work at the Art Education Fundraising Exhibit for Honors Week. One of her pieces is called “The Road,” which she says represents a path in life. STEPHANIE DEVER | DAILY KENT STATER

Credit: DKS Editors

Intricate sculptures, controversial paintings and magnificent metal jewelry caught the attention of students passing the Music and Speech Listening Center this week.

For the past four days, 22 art education students have displayed their artwork in the Kent Student Center.

The Art Education Fundraising Exhibit, which is part of the Honors Week celebration, displayed more than 50 pieces of art.

Junior art education majors Kelley Folisi and Sarah Fletcher wanted to make sure the show was better publicized this year and during Honors Week. The two girls are part of the Kent State student chapter of the National Art Education Association and organized the exhibit.

“This year we definitely wanted to make sure it was during Honors Week, because Kent really focuses on celebrating the arts,” Fletcher said. “It is to showcase the major as a whole.”

The artists who entered the show paid two dollars for each piece of art displayed, and Fletcher said all the money will go toward funding different events for their program.

“What we are trying to do here at Kent is raise money to bring speakers to the university, expand the art education community and spread more awareness of the arts,” she said.

Both of them said this was a chance to show everyone that art education students are artists as well.

“The view of art educators is you can teach art but you can’t do it, so this is to show we are artists too,” Folisi said.

On Wednesday a reception was held for the artists, bringing in a steady stream of students, adults and children to look at the art. About every type of art was in the room, including sculpture, painting and metals. The room was crowded with people conversing with the artists and admiring their work.

Some students, like Nick Pickard, came to see their friend’s artwork. The junior architecture major said even though he came because of his friend, he would have stopped in if he knew about it.

“I like that the art is so unique and diverse and there are so many different mediums,” he said. “I appreciate the design and sculpture especially because I am an architect.”

Senior art education major Rachel Rosky was one of the artists in the show and said it was fun because it gave her a chance to hear the feedback about her artwork from the public.

“I usually make art for my own satisfaction and because of my desire to discover a new medium,” Rosky said. “So it is a totally different experience putting my work out there and letting people see it who aren’t friends or family.”

Rosky said the senior art education majors don’t usually get to show off their work in an exhibit because they are busy teaching.

“I think it is great they are doing this because you don’t get this type of showcase when you are in art education,” she said. “And basically you take the studio classes and your art goes home.

“So whatever you do with it beyond there, no one really gets to see your art.”

The artists were also allowed to sell their work if they chose to, but Rosky said it would be difficult parting with some of her work.

“I’m sentimentally attached to some of the things I made, because I know how hard I worked and how many hours I put into it,” she said. “So to charge money for it would be astronomical because you put so much time into it.”

Contact Honors College reporter Christina Thomas at [email protected].