Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University will host Libby Harrington and Molly Ann Turner’s senior art exhibit, “Divergence,” in Verser Gallery from April 4 to 15. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The show will be a culmination of the students’ work while at Ouachita, allowing Turner and Harrington the opportunity to display the progression and growth they have experienced during their academic career.

A reception will be held April 5 at 4 p.m. in Verser lobby, offering the public an opportunity to interact with the artists while celebrating their creative accomplishments.

Unlike many other senior exhibits that feature students with similar stylistic preferences, Turner and Harrington’s show will highlight the difference between studio art and graphic design.

“It’s called ‘Divergence’ because it is about two students coming in as freshmen both thinking that they had the same idea about what they wanted to do, but then going in two completely different directions,” said Turner. “I think it will be really interesting to see the contrast between how my and Libby’s styles have developed. That is what we want people to notice.”

Turner, a graphic design and mass communications double major from Little Rock, Ark., will emphasize the importance of effective visual communication through design.

“I really liked drawing, so coming in to Ouachita, I thought I wanted to do studio art,” Turner noted. “However, as I began to do communications and graphic design, I realized that my passion was being able to help people communicate things effectively and using my art to do that.”

Harrington, a studio art major with an emphasis in painting, takes a more expressive approach to art.

“It’s an exploration of my own style through portraiture and growth trying to find my own style and what I am trying to accomplish,” said Harrington, a native of Hot Springs, Ark. “It is me pushing myself past what I have been accustomed to; not just relying on talent, but more expressive emphasis.”

Summer Bruch, assistant professor of Art and Design at Ouachita, has seen Turner and Harrington’s progression as artists firsthand.

“It is interesting to see how these two girls have really developed in their own ways,” Bruch said. “Molly Anne’s trip to study abroad in Austria really expanded her horizons. She got into printmaking, and I think you will see a lot of that in her show.

“Libby has finally come into her own as a painter and she has really begun honing in on the concept with the content,” Bruch continued. “You are really seeing her personality and what she wants to put into the artwork, and it took until now, so you are really seeing the fruits of her whole experience at OBU.”

Regular gallery hours for the exhibit is 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, contact the School of Fine Arts at (870) 245-5129.

By Molly Bowman