Works by Botkin, Chapman at Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum this winter

BY: SAJA HOFFPAUIR

LIFESTYLES EDITOR

Those looking for a good way to spend a cold day can find it in a number of upcoming exhibitions at the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum located on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus.

“Henry Botkin: Evolution (Part 2)” will be on exhibit Jan. 10, 2015, through April 18.

“Evolution (Part 1),” which was shown at the museum in the fall, focused on the early works of Botkin and his exploration of various aspects of European Modernism. Part 2 focuses on Botkin’s switch to the uniquely American style of abstract expressionism.

The artist’s later works combine strongly gestural and expressive lines with abstracted forms and the use of collage to interrupt the service of his canvases. The scale of his works also increased considerably.

Botkin, who died in 1983, was an illustrator for The Saturday Evening Post, Harper’s and Century Magazine.

“Truth and Identity: Questions for the Self in Works by Gary Chapman” opens Jan. 17, 2015, and will run through May 16, 2015.

The exhibition explores Chapman’s search for an ultimate truth in individual identity in the context of popular culture, politics and religious and social environments. Through paintings and mixed media compositions, the artist layers and displays images and objects in juxtaposition.

Chapman, a professor of painting and drawing at the University of Alabama, has had over 50 solo exhibitions with institutions such as The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, University of Cincinnati, University of Georgia, and University of Miami. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions with regional, national and international venues.

His work has been reviewed extensively and is published in over 20 catalogs and books including the 3rd, 16th, 52nd and 88th editions of New American Paintings.

Paintings by Chapman have been purchased for the permanent collections of 10 museums throughout the Southeastern region. These include the Birmingham,

Montgomery and Ogden Museums of Art. His work is also included in many corporate and private collections throughout the country.

To learn more about Chapman, visit http://www.garychapmanart.com.

“The New Sublime: Video Works by Courtney Egan” will also open Jan. 17 and run through May 16.

This multimedia exhibition will feature botanical art comprised of projection-based sculptural installations that establish a surprising link with myth, fairy tale and modern technology. Egan has stated that, “We get closer and simultaneously farther away from the natural world when we experience it through a technological lens. This new kind of sublime, in which human experience is mediated through a digital device, is enjoyable, illuminating, and disturbing.”

Egan holds an Master of Fine Arts degree from Maryland Institute College of Art and has taught art and media in elementary, secondary and college classrooms since 1991. She is currently a Media Arts faculty member at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA).

More information on Egan can be found at http://www.courtneyegan.net.

The Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum is located at 710 E. St. Mary Blvd. in Lafayette.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays; 9 a.m. to noon on Fridays; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Admission is free for UL-L students, staff and faculty with i.d.’s, as well as active military personnel with IDs.

Admission prices for the general public are $5 for adults; $4 for senior citizens 62 and over; and $3 for children 5 to 17. Children under 5 are free.

For more information, call 482-2278 or visit http://museum.louisiana.edu.