Staff report

Galleries across campus opened with new exhibits Feb. 23. These exhibits illustrate American History through artistic mediums, a change of pace from traditional art presented in the galleries. This art work connects history with the fine arts in a unique way thanks to the New Deal by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

From dioramas to artistic posters, the history of the American “New Deal” and other public work projects are shown through artistic means to the general public. This history directly affects Murray State, as New Deal projects were created in Kentucky and even in Murray.

According to the Murray State website, the exhibits have been made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts.

“The NEA ‘Art Works’ Grant is to support an arts education program sponsored by the university gallery,” the site said. “Designed to foster awareness of the visual arts both within the university and in the community, programming will include artists’ lectures, a symposium, and film screenings.”

Along with the NEA grant, the Murray State Department of Art & Design and the College of Humanities and Fine Arts have been involved with making the exhibits a reality. Artwork can be found in the Clara M. Eagle gallery, the Curris Center gallery and the Mary Ed Mecoy Hall gallery. Each gallery features different art and focuses on different aspects of the New Deal as well as the art produced about it and from it.

Professors from a variety of disciplines such as history, philosophy, journalism and art history have been scheduled to give talks in the culminating event on March 11. The keynote address that day will be given by Erika Doss, professor in American Studies from Notre Dame. Her talk will be about the New Deal and art, with a panel discussion to follow.