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Art
department still using grant Associate Editor
The
Missouri Southern art department is enjoying the use of some new
equipment, thanks to a grant left in the will of Katherine Hyde in 1991. The
department has used the $16,000 grant for 10 years. The interest is used
every year to fund three areas - international travel, scholarships and
visiting artists, and equipment upgrades. "Every
year, we try to upgrade some of the art equipment so we can keep up with
current standards," said Nick Kyle, head of the art department.
"We feel it's important to have the best equipment for our students
so they can get the most out of their educational experience." This
year, the department has made purchases to enhance its three-dimensional
divisions. It has bought new saws and a wood planer for its sculptures
and fabrications, a slab roller for clay works, as well as 12 new
power-assisted pottery wheels. The
department is also constructing a wood kiln for melting clay on the
northeast side of the campus between Spiva Art Gallery and Webster Hall.
All bricks for the kiln were purchased through the grant. [The
new equipment] has been a long time coming, said Justin Shaw, junior
studio art major. We needed tools we could get something done
with. Chad
Stangl, senior studio art major, also said the improvements were needed. It
makes it a lot more easier when you have the right tool for the job
you re doing, he said. Pat
Phelps, trust officer at United Missouri Bank in Carthage, said Hyde, a
Carthage resident, was an art fan her entire life. Though Hyde never
attended Southern, she found it important to enhance the enjoyment of
art for future generations. She
was a different lady, Phelps said. She loved art, and that s why
she did what she did. Instructors
said they believe the funds have been a great help to the department. "We
desperately need it," said Dewane Hughes, assistant professor of
art. "I'm happy to have it. Some people think I'm a demanding
professor, and [the new equipment] helps students achieve their goals if
they have it. Some students, in the past, have even resorted to buying
their own art equipment." Jim
Bray, professor of art, agreed the trust has made a great impact on the
department. "With
the predicament everyone else is in, we're very fortunate," he
said. "The thing I think is important is to reap the benefits of
the trust. To me, it's a reminder that public institutions cannot
survive without help from the private sector." |