Webster University has offered students, faculty and others various spaces to display and experience art for decades. Two of these spaces found on campus, the Kooyumjian Gallery and Cecille R. Hunt Gallery, feature artwork from those within and beyond the Webster community. While both boast a wide variety of content, each features its own unique selection of different art forms.
Guests of the Kooyumjian Gallery can expect to see digital, 2D art, such as photography or mixed-media work.
“Media arts takes photography a little bit further,” Kristina Richards, gallery director of the Kooyumjian Gallery, said.
In contrast, the Hunt Gallery often showcases more 3D pieces.
For the Kooyumjian Gallery, the season began in late summer and continued into this semester with Webster alum Sonya Revell’s photography and media arts collection. As the gallery director, Richards helps select artists for the Kooyumjian Gallery.
“[Revell’s work] was just a standout. It was so easy to choose her work. It’s electric!” Richards said.
One of Revell’s collections, titled “Caribbean Chromatic Kaleidoscope Series,” features models with bold and colorful patterns with a bit of a twist. Adding more complexity to her pieces and more of a media art project, Revell takes her photography a step further by photoshopping the complementary pattern to the background.
For Revell, being able to come back to her alma mater after graduating 20 years ago was a special experience. Revell stated that being able to display her work in the Kooyumjian Gallery felt like a “full circle” moment.
Whether it’s through email, phone or social media, Revell maintains communication with many professors who once taught her, despite now living in Miami.
“I appreciate that sort of intimacy that came from Webster. I feel that’s very unique,” she said.
Hawaiian digital media specialist Andrew Richard Hara’s artwork will now be on display until Nov. 22. His collection features imagery of Hawaii’s scenery.
Following this, from Dec. 1 to Jan. 7, guests of the gallery can see a variety of photographs taken by high schoolers. With 300 submissions from St. Louis-area high schools last year, the gallery expects a lot of submissions again. Once chosen, the photographs will become featured in the gallery on Jan. 19 with an opening reception planned for Dec. 1.
The fourth exhibit is the 2024 Barrett Faculty & 37th Annual Undergraduate Exhibit. It will feature the work of undergraduates and faculty in the School of Communications and across the university.
Griselda San Martin is the last single artist exhibition of the season. The exhibit, “Alternate Perspective,” created by the Spanish-born documentary photographer works to challenge the narrative of immigration. It runs March 1 to April 24.
“I think this year, you get three very different flavors of what a professional photographer is doing,” Richards said.
For the Hunt Gallery, showcasing diversity within its content is also a critical component each season. According to Jeff Hughes, director of the Hunt Gallery, its broader approach reaches individuals in the greater St. Louis community who might otherwise be limited due to geography, ethnicity and economic privilege.
The Hunt Gallery often focuses its exhibits on international contemporary artists. Each season typically includes four exhibits with one from an international artist.
“Hunt Gallery programming is tied directly to Webster University’s international mission,” Hughes said.
With its features on 3D art, Hughes expressed he tries to strike a balance for the gallery between different artistic mediums and artists.
The current exhibition at Hunt Gallery features Martin Lang and his work titled “Martin Lang: Jalousie Windows.” The works are based on photography but incorporate technology to manipulate the prints on metal. Lang, another Webster University alum, incorporates art historical references.
The schedule for the rest of the season includes three openings. “Fieldwork,” Nov. 3 to Dec. 15, displays and demonstrates iron casting. From Jan. 26 to March 1, Monica Mason’s “The Community Project” will be on display. Finally, “Ferguson and Beyond: A Decade of Artistic Responses” will be exhibited from March 22 to April 23.
With both galleries exhibiting different types of media, guests can find a unique yet inviting environment offering first-rate experiences right on Webster University’s campus.
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