TWU Visual Arts to host Art Day

Sept. 7, 2022 – DENTON – If you've never seen art made with a steamroller, you'll get your chance on Sept. 23 on the Texas Woman's University campus.

TWU's division of Visual Arts is hosting Art Day, a hands-on, interactive event with art workshops and visiting professional artists for high school students and art teachers. Activities will include a printmaking maker-space, four-person exhibition and panel presentation by visiting artists, and large-format printmaking – including with a steamroller, commonly used to level roads.

Art Day will take place at the TWU Fine Arts Building at the corner of Oakland and Texas Streets on the TWU campus, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Attendance is free, but there is limited space for attendees and students must be chaperoned throughout the event.

UPDATE: registered participants are now at full capacity, and registration is closed.

The purpose of Art Day is not just to introduce high school students to art, but to demonstrate that visual arts are a viable career path.

"Students don't know that visual arts is even an option," said Sheli Petersen, associate professor of graphic design. "But visual arts permeates every aspect of your life. Videos, digital and print ads, signs on buses. We want these kids to imagine that they can do this for a living.

"Their visual voice is needed for the larger dialogue," Petersen added.

Art Day will allow high school students who may be wondering if they can earn a living in the visual arts to meet and interact with TWU art students who were having those same conversations a short time ago.

Students will be able to:

• participate in art workshops led by the TWU Visual Arts faculty
• talk with professional printmaking artists and TWU art majors
• view professional printmaking artist exhibitions in TWU Art Gallery

Among the visiting artists will be Omar Gonzales, Kill Joy, Benjamin Munoz, and Lars Roeder.

Workshops will include digital painting, alternative photo processes, T-shirt silk-screening, and portfolio reviews and printmaking maker-space. There will be free swag.

For more information, visit the Art Day website or contact Sheli Petersen at mpetersen1@twu.edu.