Erinn Finley
Staff Writer
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Jill Smith
Staff Writer
[email protected]

The Department of Art and Design hosted its annual art auction, raising nearly $7,200 toward its goal of $10,000 to fund scholarships for art and design students. 

The art auction, which was held online from Oct. 25 through Nov. 15, features art from faculty, alumni, students and community members.

The auction highlighted several art disciplines including woodworking, drawing, painting and ceramics.

$7,197 was raised to fund scholarships. Department of Art and Design Chair Chris Lavery said the goal was determined based on past events.

“[That goal is] based on what we normally raise each year,” Lavery said. “We are lower this year, it’s all based on who buys things and who doesn’t.” 

Lavery said the art auction is organized by the art department and run by department faculty. 

“The faculty typically run that part of [the auction], although it runs through our office and now we are partnering a little with [the Office of] Development to do the online portion of the auction,” Lavery said. 

The auction typically is held in-person, but with COVID-19 restrictions, the auction had to be held online. 

“It’s usually a live event, and it’s one night,” Lavery said. “With COVID restrictions, how many people would fit in the gallery, it’s not doable under these standards.”

This is an unusual auction, Lavery said, because it showcases art from numerous artists but remains affordable for those who want to buy new pieces. 

“We try to have faculty, students, alumni and community members donate works and then the prices are really good deals,” Lavery said. “It’s more about the quantity that we end up with—it covers the cost and the fundraising aspect of it.”

Junior Kerrie Pullen, a double major in fine arts and art education, was this year’s featured student artist. 

She said it feels great knowing the proceeds from her artwork will benefit scholarships. 

“I always am an advocate for universities and all schooling to be completely free. Since that isn’t the case here at MSU or most colleges around the country, I’m more than happy to be participating in something that allows others to have more access and support to attend college,” Pullen said. “Everyone has the right to, and I’m always excited about helping.”

Pullen said her art reflects her identity and life experiences. 

“My work is about understanding and discovering my Filipino American culture,” Pullen said. “I do a lot of historical research, interviews with family members and getting information pulled from memories, traditions, photographs and more.”

Pullen’s artwork features several uncommon elements. She has experimented with using various layers in her drawing by using hair, sewing, food and other 3D elements. 

“I do a lot of large-scale installation-based work using cut paper, found objects, textiles, and even real foods,” Pullen said. 

Murray State Art and Design alumna Bailey Roman said her featured piece, “Has Hell Frozen Over?” looks at the historical patterns of natural hazards and disasters within the last century in the United States. 

“This piece specifically discusses environmental apathy. The idea stemmed from watching reactions to the pandemic as lockdown became more relaxed,” Roman said. “I started comparing the two and how there seems to be a common thread with not only the pandemic but climate change as well.”

Environmental apathy refers to a reaction caused by extreme anxiety about climate change, believing it cannot be fixed or that we should not bother to fix it. 

“The color scheme I chose to remain very limited so that it would almost look like you were looking through a filter when viewing the fire and really drive the feeling of emotional dissonance between the fire and its surrounding environment,” Roman said. “The horses in the piece are inspired by America’s obsession with the supernatural, western themes and the untamable.”

This auction consists of donated artwork from faculty, alumni and students. None of the pieces were commissioned for the auction. 

“The pieces I donated were all done at different points of my college career,” Pullen said. “The drawings I made around early 2020 while my book box and my etching were made this year.” 

Lavery said this year’s auction showcased approximately 140 pieces of donated art..

“We typically see maybe a few more items donated when it’s a live auction, but we were not lacking for sure,” Lavery said. 

Pullen said it was rewarding to be selected as a featured student artist. 

“It’s a great honor to be chosen by my professors and seeing people bid on my work,” Pullen said. “It’s validating as an artist and a student.”

This was the first year the auction was held online; however, Lavery said that in the future the department may consider combining an in-person and online auction in order to reach a wider audience.