Methodist University has a decade-plus reputation for presenting unique exhibitions at one of Fayetteville’s premier art venues — the David McCune International Art Gallery. So, it’s no surprise that its fall exhibition will be both unique in presentation and experience for the audience.

Opening at McCune, located in the Bethune Center for Visual Arts on the MU campus, the free exhibition titled Intersection will be open to the campus community and public until Dec. 1. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday each week (except on MU holidays). The gallery follows all campus safety protocols related to COVID-19. For more information visit https://www.methodist.edu/

“Like all of our shows, this one will feature amazing artists and their works,” said MU Professor of Art Vilas Tonape. “But it will also be very unique in that it will lead the guest to an experience of appreciating not just the similarities of the art being presented, but also the differences. It’s truly an intersection, where people will visit the gallery from all walks of life and enjoy both commonality and differences. All are welcome and will enjoy this exhibit.”

Intersection will feature the works (which are for sale) of Andréa Keys Connell, Zhimin Guan, Sondra (Soni) Martin and Winter Rusiloski. Each has presented their works both nationally and internationally and hold positions as instructors at institutions of higher learning.

•Rusiloski: Investigating abstracted landscapes for 20 years; more than 30 juried exhibitions around the world since 2016; paintings in public and private collections; an assistant professor of Painting in the Baylor University Department of Art and Art History.

•Martin: Extensive commissions, grants and awards; works in private and corporate collections; expertise in studio arts (sculpture, printmaking, painting) and contemporary art theory; a professor of Visual Art at Fayetteville State University.

•Guan: Featured in more than 200 professional exhibitions, including 20 solo shows; pieces in permanent museum collections in the U.S., China, and Singapore; a professor of Art at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

•Connell: More than a dozen solo exhibitions; featured in numerous publications; taught workshops on figure sculpting at craft schools; an associate professor of Ceramics in the Department of Fine Arts at Appalachian State University.

“This unique selection of artists brings paintings and sculptures together in an exciting way that allows the viewer to contemplate multiple dimensions and medium’s ability to play with the intersection between landscape, figure and ground,” said Connell.

Each of the artists — and certainly Tonape, the curator — have an appreciation for the gallery, which has had numerous successful exhibitions that featured artists such as Warhol, Chagall, Rodin, Picasso, and most recently, Rembrandt. The University, Division of Fine and Performing Arts, and gallery also showcase exhibitions of work from MU students, faculty, staff and local artists.

“I’m very excited to be a part of such an outstanding exhibition in a stellar international art gallery,” said Rusiloski.

Tonape knows the quality of the art being presented, and offering that would certainly be successful in itself, but he was purposeful in his efforts to bring artists and work that would resonate with students.

“Intersection showcases many perspectives and diversity of work, which is perfect for a liberal arts university,” he said. “We have classes for painting, abstract painting, ceramics and sculpture, and the students can see how these forms of art can work together and also be very different … they can see the show and at some level, realize they either pertain to their study right now, or they will in the future.”

All similarly in one place, but all undeniably unique, the fall exhibition at the McCune Gallery at Methodist University is truly an “Intersection.”

For more information on the exhibition or Methodist University visit https://www.methodist.edu/.

Pictured: The Intersection exhibition features the work of four artists: Winter Rusiloski, Soni Martin, Zhimin Guan and Andrea Keys Connell. (Photo by Gabrielle Allison)