The ASU–Beebe Art Department is proud to feature the art exhibit “Stories & Symbols” by Jeff Young through the month of March. Admission is free and the gallery is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
An artist reception will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 20 in the England Center Art Gallery.
Young, an educator and artist working primarily in charcoal, graphite, and hand-made paint, lives and works in central Arkansas where he has taught at the University of Central Arkansas for 29 years.
He has exhibited his work in 48 regional and national juried exhibitions, has presented at over 50 state and national conferences, and is co-author on six articles published in journals such as “Studies in Art Education” and “Visual Arts Research.”
“My work explores relationships among people – the stories that exist between parents and children; between friends; between spouses and lovers,” Young said.
Young’s narrative drawings often use objects like toys, plants, tools, and coffee cups as visual metaphors. Recently, Young has explored metaphors he employed earlier in his career, such as gloves and toy robots, and how they might be perceived in a new way.
“I focus on interactions, the dramatic events that affect our lives and the seemingly inconsequential daily moments that stick in our minds as we age. My drawings are humorous stories, representations of love, reminders of hurt feelings, and childhood tales of injury and mystery,” Young said.
Young earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in art education from Texas Tech University and a Master of Arts and a doctorate degree in art education from the University of North Texas. He is also a member of the Central Arkansas Collective, which is an art and culture collaboration for artists.
“Ernest Boyer, the educator, compiled a list of eight traits that all humans have in common,” Young said. “One of these human commonalities is our search for a larger purpose, our attempt to give meaning to our lives. For me, the making of art plays a part in that search for meaning. Thinking about the people I know and exploring their stories helps me find my purpose.”
The England Center Art Gallery is located at 201 North Orange Street in Beebe. The gallery presents works of art by students and featured artists throughout the academic year. For more information, contact Thomas Fernandez at (501) 882-8913 or the England Center Art Gallery reception office at (501) 882-4495.
ASU-Beebe is the only two-year college in central Arkansas that offers an Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degree. The AFA degree has an emphasis in vocal music or instrumental music, theater, graphic design or creative arts enterprise. This degree is a comprehensive two-year curriculum designed specifically for transfer toward a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.
For more information about ASU-Beebe programs, call (501) 882-3600, or visit the website at www.asub.edu.
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