The LSU Museum of Art will be dedicating an exhibit to the art of past and present University professors and students for the first time ever.The “LSU Art Past and Present” exhibit, which is open tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., will feature the art of current professors Kelli Scott Kelly, Michael Crespo and Robert Hausey and past professors Paul Dufour, Caroline Durieux, Armin Scheler and Duncan Ferguson.LSU MOA chief curator Victoria Cooke said she organized this exhibit because she wanted a room that honored the tradition of art instruction at the University.”The exhibit shows how innovative and interesting the department has been throughout its history,” Cooke said.She said the exhibit is important because students think of their professors as teachers and often forget they are also artists.”We want to honor those who are both good artists and good teachers and have dedicated time in their lives to teaching,” Cooke said.Although no student art will be presented, Cooke said the exhibit will change in the future.”There will be a few minor changes in the gallery over the next year,” Cooke said. “But the real changeover will happen next August with the new school year.”Jessica O’Connor, studio art sophomore, said she thinks putting student art in the museum is an effective way to promote University talent.”This will get the students’ names out there to other viewers who wouldn’t see them at the University,” O’Connor said.Professor Kelly has three pieces in the exhibit.She said she takes images from pop culture, children’s books and science books and creates surreal images based on these sources.”All of my ideas about art and how I teach my students come from being an artist myself,” Kelly said. “It’s a great opportunity to see what the professors are doing and to be inspired by their teachers work.”Kelly said she doesn’t use her own work in the classroom, but she thinks students seeing their professors’ work brings credibility to what is taught in the classroom.O’Connor said she would be excited to see her teachers’ art in a museum setting.”It’s awesome because we don’t get to see our teachers’ work everyday,” O’Connor said. “It shows the level we could progress to.”Cooke also said she wanted students to understand the tradition of art at the University.”There is work that dates back to the 1930s,” Cooke said. “[Students can] see this sort of tradition that LSU has created in excellence in art teaching and the importance of the department in shaping art trends.”Kelly said she thinks there are not enough opportunities for students to see their professors’ work.”Most of us show our work in other places,” Kelly said. “This gallery is trying to have more of a connection and more opportunities to see the history of the school of art.”- – – -Contact Blake Stephens at [email protected]