Questionable Foods

October 12, 2022 – February 25, 2023

Assessing our consumption culture requires an escape from the constant stream of advertising we digest daily. Questionable Foods provides a fresh perspective and starts the conversation on America’s relationship with food and the food industry.

Reflective both in nature and in form, the glass sculptures of Kathleen Elliot reimagine the way we look at food and its packaging. The bright colors, text, and materials used in her collage works lend themselves to intriguing artwork due to their intended appeal to buyers. Taken out of the grocery store context, these snacks, wrappers and boxes begin to transform before our eyes.

Kathleen Elliot’s ability to adapt everyday food into artistic sculptures makes her artwork immersive and unique. Brightly colored food packages are given voices of their own and allowed to interact in new ways with us the customers who regularly purchase such products.

In Questionable Foods, Kathleen Elliot makes use of glass to create sculptures but also produces collage pieces that work together to share the message of Questionable Foods. This exhibit will have visitors rethinking their role as consumers and contemplating the effect of food on American society. Any questions regarding the exhibit may be directed to the email vac@msc.tamu.edu or phone number 979-458-8714.

Selected artworks will be on display in the James R. Reynolds Gallery in the Texas A&M Memorial Student Center from October 12, 2022 – February 25, 2023. Admission is free.

Check out the virtual exhibit below! Or visit tx.ag/QuestionableFoods

ArtFest 2023

On display March 1 – April 29, 2023 

ArtFest is the Memorial Student Center Visual Arts Committee’s annual art competition and exhibition. All Texas A&M students, regardless of major, are invited to submit their artwork. The students who submit artwork to ArtFest come from any major, any experience level, and any age. The top three pieces receive a cash prize: first place $100, second place $75, third place $50, and film overall $100. ArtFest 2022 Winners are:

First Place Winner: Luke Kostohryz, Sophomore Visualization major from Keller, TX

Second Place Winner: Sydney Lemmon, Sophomore, Visualization from Fort Collins, TX

Third Place Winner: Toryn Autry, Junior, Visualization from Marion, TX

Best Film: Sloane Veronico, Senior, University Studies Architecture from Willis, TX

You can view the virtual exhibit at tx.ag/ArtFest2023 or click the icon below

Play!

On display May 3 – June 23, 2023

The MSC Visual Arts Committee announces the opening of ArtFest 2023 on display in the Reynolds Gallery from May 3 – June 23, 2023.

Children learn a diverse set of skills by playing with other children and adults. Through play, kids learn problem solving skills, creative thinking, communication, and important social skills. Play therapists actually utilize play to reconstruct and model healthy behaviors and offer children ways to express their feelings through activities like drawing, role play, and storytelling.

But what can play do for adults? Studies show that engaging in creative activities can benefit adults who are being treated for dementia, mental illness, physical injuries, stroke, depression, and probably much more.

In this exhibit, the MSC Visual Arts Committee invites everyone, of every age, to Play!

Along the way, we share information about different learning models and play theory that might give you a new way of seeing how some of these foundational activities develop important skills in children. But also think about how some of these activities help adults destress, focus, reconnect with feelings and think about the world differently.

What can you gain by taking time out of your busy day to play?

You can view the virtual exhibit at tx.ag/PlayExhibit or click the icon below.

Lights Out, Texas!

On display June 28th – September 13th, 2023

Visit the virtual exhibit at tx.ag/BRTCLightsOutExhibit

The MSC Visual Arts Committee announces the opening of Lights Out, Texas! on display in the Reynolds Gallery from June 28 – September 13, 2023.

Each year during fall and spring migrations, nearly two billion birds travel through Texas navigating by the night sky in one of the planet’s great wildlife spectacles. However, as they pass over big cities, they can become disoriented by bright artificial lights and skyglow, often causing them to collide with buildings or windows. In their confusion, birds also waste a lot of energy flying around and calling out as they try to find their flight paths. Their exhaustion can leave them vulnerable to other urban threats.

Originally launched in 2017 by Houston Audubon, Lights Out, Texas! has grown statewide due to standardization of protocols by Texan by Nature with other leading organizations. The campaign consists of education, awareness and action to reduce migratory bird mortality by encouraging city officials and building owners to turn off non-essential lights at night during peak migration. Today, the Lights Out, Texas! effort is facilitated by Audubon Texas in collaboration with conservation non-profits, universities, governmental organizations, and Texans dedicated to the conservation of birds.

This exhibit today focuses on some of the most highly impacted species of the Lights Out, Texas! project, the research that they are made available for, and the impacts of the program.