Art Exhibition, Sale to Benefit Painting Scholarship

November 20, 2017

“Meaningful Painting: The Legacy of Pat Walker,” an exhibition showcasing the works of Pat Walker, professor emeritus in the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art (BFSDoArt) at Georgia Southern University, will be on view Nov. 27 – Dec. 15 at the Center for Art and Theatre’s University Gallery. An opening reception, silent auction, and gallery talk will be Nov. 30 beginning at 5 p.m. in the Center for Art and Theatre.

Walker (1949-2015) was a professor of painting and drawing at Georgia Southern for 27 years and was awarded professor emeritus status in 2014. During her tenure, Walker influenced hundreds of students, many of whom went on to be distinguished artists and art faculty. Throughout her career, she exhibited her work both nationally and internationally and received many awards, grants and scholarships. Her work also was included in numerous art publications.

This exhibit will feature works from Walker’s studio that span more than 35 years of her artistic lifetime, including work that has not been exhibited before. It will include a range of mediums, from large oil paintings and drawings to very affordable small studies, along with Giclees (high quality copies of work printed on canvas) of one of her most celebrated works, “Oysters in Morning Light.” Additionally, two current BFSDoArt Master of Fine Arts students, Zak Kelley and Jessamy McManus, will exhibit paintings at the reception and discuss  the impact Walker had on their aesthetic development at Georgia Southern.

“Pat was an award-winning painter and pastel artist; above all, she inspired art students in the department with her sustained commitment to hard work in the studio,” said Elsie Hill, associate professor of Painting and Drawing and Foundations in the BFSDoArt. “The establishment of the Pat Walker Scholarship in Painting as well as the Student Resource Center in the Visual Arts Building, which houses all of Pat’s art books, makes her legacy ever present in the department.”

The exhibit, gallery talk and opening reception are free and open to the public, and all proceeds from the silent auction sales of Walker’s work will help endow the Pat Walker Scholarship in Painting, which will provide needed financial support for painting students in the BFSDoArt.

For more information, contact Elsie Hill at elsiehill@georgiasouthern.edu.