Work by Ed Gilliam will be featured at UNG's Bob Owens Art Gallery on the Dahlonega Campus this month. The clay work will be on display until Dec. 27; however, a reception for Gilliam will be held in Hoag Student Center on Oct. 29 at 5 p.m.
Gilliam, a Roswell resident, has been passionate for art since childhood, though he was not always a career artist. He practiced law, served in the U.S. Army, and earned a master's degree in business administration from Columbia University before owning a gallery of his own. At 67, he began dabbling in ceramics and drawing once again.
In reflecting on his approach in creating his art, Gilliam said, "I strive to make each work more interesting, enjoyable, striking, mysterious and thought-provoking than those previously made."
Gilliam explores a broad range of subjects on his signature clay discs, and employs text and other elements to yield richly-crafted symbolic and evocative statement pieces. He breaches topics from mythology and politics to nature and history. The pieces in the Gilliam exhibit are from the Thomas E. Scanlin Collection.
"My goal as an artist is to make something permanent and treasured by others, now, and more importantly, when I am gone," Gilliam said.
Also displaying regional art and artists, the Roy C. Moore Art Gallery at UNG's Gainesville Campus recently lengthened their hours so that students, staff and community members would have more opportunity to experience the exhibits. The new hours are Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Roy C. Moore Art Gallery's current exhibit on display is a unique blend of poetry and art funded by the Forsyth County Art Alliance titled "No Small Measure: Collaborations between Artists & Poets."
Both galleries are extensions of UNG's Department of Visual Arts and have a strong focus on promoting and connecting students with Appalachian artists. For more information about the Ed Gilliam exhibit or the No Small Measure exhibit visit http://ung.edu/visual-arts/galleries/index.php.
