Letter From the Department Chair

September 9, 2009

Greetings Art Alumni,

As I enter my second year as Interim Chair of the Department of Art I have many thoughts about reaching out to our alumni. It is my objective to launch new programs that will assist us in reconnecting. Initially, I would like to invite you to participate in the first annual Art Alumni Homecoming Exhibition. This exhibit is open to all APSU Department of Art Alumni. You are welcome to submit one to three pieces. We will at least hang one and space permitting up to three works each. This salon style exhibition will be open for one day only, Saturday, October 31, 2009. You must have your work to the department by 4:00pm Friday, October 30, 2009 to be included. Please see the included card for more entry information.

The Art Alumni Homecoming Exhibition coincides with the University’s Homecoming weekend festivities. There will be a reception from 11am - 4 pm on Saturday, October 31st on the front lawn of the Trahern Building. The reception is open to the public and all APSU Alumni are invited to drop by. Please check the department’s website for updates and additional information.

I would like to create a comprehensive database on the careers and artistic activities of our alumni. It is my hope that this will reconnect you with fellow classmates and with our current students. It will also give us bragging rights on the successes of our graduates. I am really interested in hearing about your career and your accomplishments. Is your employment in the arts or another field? Did you go on and receive additional education? No matter if you have pursued a profession in the areas of art and design or are now a corporate accountant, we want to know! Please fill out and return the enclosed form or go to our website and respond to us there. Of course you can always stay connected with us on facebook. We have the Austin Peay State University Department of Art group and there is also a group started called “I'm a piece of artwork that was made in the Trahern”.

Enclosed is a calendar of events for the current year. It includes information on all the visiting artist/speakers and exhibitions. We also now have an online gallery, Terminal, to showcase Internet and new media art. The gallery is located at www.terminalapsu.org. If you are in the area, please come to any or all of our events.

Also, included is the department’s new brochure highlighting our education mission, past activities and the accomplishments of the current faculty. Additional copies are available upon request. Please give my contact information to anyone you know who might be interested in pursuing an education in the visual arts. I would be happy to meet with them to talk about our program.

Another initiative I am interested in implementing this year is an open studio day or evening for alumni. I have talked with many alumni over the years that expressed difficulty in continuing to create work because of a lack of space or equipment. It seems like a great situation for alumni and current students to interact. I also would like to schedule an alumnus to give a talk on their work at each open studio day. I would like to hear your thoughts. Please let me know if this is something that sparks your interest. Would an evening during the workweek or an all day open studio on the weekend be better?

We are in the process of opening the Austin Peay Downtown Gallery. It is located at 116 Strawberry Alley in Clarksville. The mission of the gallery is to feature the work of alumni and faculty providing exhibition opportunities to our alumni. I hope the first exhibition will be ready for viewing during the Homecoming Weekend.

Thank you for taking time to read through this letter. I sincerely hope that you will respond and will participate in the exhibition. Please come to the Art Alumni Homecoming Exhibition and invite your friends. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,

Gregg Schlanger
Interim Chair
schlangerg@apsu.edu