MTSU’s student artists will create the core of two new exhibits in the university’s Todd Art Gallery: “Repository,” a sculpture collection focusing on memory, biology and media beginning Nov. 14, and “Blended,” showcasing the works of two ceramics students beginning Dec. 2.

MTSU art student Sara Huggins’ sculptural work, shown here in detail, is part of an upcoming sculpture exhibit at the Todd Art Gallery, “Repository,” which opens Nov. 14. (Photos submitted)

An opening reception is planned for 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, in the Todd Gallery’s Room 210 for “Repository,” which is curated by and includes the work of sculpture student Sara Huggins.

The works included in “Repository” focus on the nature of memory and how it functions in our modern media-saturated culture, organizers say.

MTSU art student Carissa Gay’s “Tear-Drop Vase,” a piece of wood-fired stoneware, is part of an upcoming ceramic exhibit at the Todd Art Gallery, “Blended,” which opens Dec. 3.

“’Repository’ is a group sculpture show that examines how the presence of media affects the encoding of experience into memory,” Huggins said.

She added that works in the exhibit “incorporate time-based media with sculpture and installation in relevant and thought-provoking ways that highlight the way media actually functions in a personal and prolonged context with memory.”

The “Repository” exhibit will be featured in Todd 210 from Nov. 14 to Nov. 27.

The second student exhibit, “Blended,” features work from ceramics students Laney Humphrey and Carissa Gay. An opening reception will be held Monday, Dec. 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. in Todd 210.

The exhibition focuses on the juxtaposition of the two artists’ work, highlighting the contrast between Humphrey’s figural ceramic sculptures and Gay’s more formal ceramic vessels.

Both artists use the same tools and materials, but the end products are entirely different. Humphrey described her work as “gritty and grotesque,” adding that her classmate Gay’s forms are “clean and smooth.”

MTSU art student Laney Humphrey’s wood-fired stoneware is part of an upcoming ceramic exhibit at the Todd Art Gallery, “Blended,” which opens Dec. 3.

“Both of us seek to push the boundaries of nonfunctional clay while harmonizing our work with visual similarities such as color, texture, surface, form and technique,” Humphrey said.

“Blended: An Exhibition of Ceramic Works” will be on display Dec. 3-12 in Todd 210.

MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery exhibitions and receptions are always free and open to the public.

The gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and is closed on state and university holidays.

For more information, including parking and directions, contact Eric Snyder at 615-898-5653 or eric.snyder@mtsu.edu or visit www.mtsu.edu/art.

A searchable campus map with parking notes also is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap13-14.

— Gina E. Fann (gina.fann@mtsu.edu)