FAMU alumnus Terry K. Hunter provided arts books to event attendees at "Artalks" in the Foster-Tanner Arts Gallery.
Photo submitted by Precious Tankard.
Florida A&M University alumnus and artist-educator Terry K. Hunter hosted ‘The Grid Comes Full Circle’ in the Foster-Tanner Fine Arts Gallery on Monday, Oct. 22nd.
The free event which took place from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. was a part of the Fine Art’s “ARTalks” series, which gives artists featured in the gallery a chance to meet and discuss the arts with students, faculty and art lovers.
The event highlighted prestigious art created under the instruction of Hunter from 1977 to 2010. The students’ exhibition ranged from South Carolina State University, Claflin University, and the Fine Arts Cultural Enrichment Teaching Studios, also known as (F.A.C.E.T.S). Hunter has spent the last 45 years being an art educator.
Fine arts major Stanley Butts was very inspired by the work showcased in the gallery. He said that work inspired him on his own journey.
“Seeing his art and other art shown in the exhibit inspired me to work on my own pieces,” Butts explained. “One thing I really took away from this exhibit and event is to not only incorporate a deeper meaning in my pieces, but to leave enough mystery in the piece for the view to formulate their own opinion and idea about the meaning.”
As Hunter walked and talked throughout the exhibit with students and professors, he brought into perspective various works of art. He aligned each body of work with complements of how the art pieces directly apply to art disciplines and the art criticism model.
Fine arts major Stephanie Smith had the chance to speak with Hunter and learned what she believed was valuable information.
“It was very informative, Mr. Hunter interacted with us and not at us which kept people engaged and interested in learning more.” Smith stated. “After attending the event, I took away a new format of how to critique artwork as a viewer.”
One very inspiring quote Smith acknowledged was “Art is not a picture of things but are symbols of thoughts and feelings.”
Covering two floors of artwork, the session pulled the engagement of attendees through informative insight. During this session, was an open question and answers style approach discussing Hunters’ art journey and represented creations of the artists’ students.
Fine Arts major, Shacara Shaw expressed how the discussion gave her a lot of insight into art styles.
“The way Hunter explained the proper way of analyzing a piece of art was very informative I took away very valuable information,” recalled Shaw. “Personally, as an artist, he inspired me by showing different ways you can make the audience understand the content of your work. “
It’s said and shown the “ARTalks”series hosted in the Fine Arts Gallery is a great way for students to connect with artists and people who are working in art related professions.
Event attendees were able to take a copy of Hunter’s book of the students’ work. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays.