Students may be the focus of most campus events, but they aren’t the only people worthy of a spotlight.

Today at 5 p.m., the Lamar Dodd School of Art is hosting the opening reception of a faculty art exhibition.

“Many students look at their professors and sometimes forget, or are not aware, that they are practicing artists,” said Jeffrey Whittle, Lamar Dodd’s new gallery director.

The exhibit, Whittle’s first as director, will inaugurate the new art school location on River Road.

The work of 43 artists and faculty can be viewed in two galleries, with entries ranging from still photography to contemporary takes on jewelry and metal working.

Whittle said he tried to show variety in both galleries, while playing off opposites and scale changes.

He hopes the exhibit, which he said is the first faculty show in five to 10 years, will help unify the departments and create community within the college.

Explaining the purpose of this exhibition, Whittle recalled the University motto: “To teach, to serve and to inquire into things.” He believes this show, along with the new building, will accomplish all three of these goals.

One piece of artwork in the first gallery, which Whittle described as distinctive because of its originality, is a new square serif font which took three years for Ron Arnholm, a graphic design professor, to complete.

Other works include an oil on linen painting inspired by Hurricane Katrina titled, “No Man is an Island” by Stefanie Jackson, an associate professor of drawing and painting. SunKoo Yuh, an associate professor of ceramics is showing two colorful, fantastical ceramics shaped as totems titled “Family Union” and “Side by Side.”

Up two flights of cement stairs and to the right is the second room, showcasing 21 pieces.

At the back of the room a painting lies on the floor, made with paint, flock and glitter. The creation called “Hanuman’s Rescue,” is a work by Jim Barsness, an associate professor of drawing and painting.

Barsness said the painting is about a sort of patron saint for people with Attention Defect Disorder because it is about Hanuman, a Hindu diety who has the face of a monkey and the body of a human, who was punished by witches for being too restless and curious as a youngster.

“I’m very excited to be included in this show, which really showcases how multi-faceted and talented our faculty is.” Barsness said. “This show is a unique opportunity to experience a some amazing visual treats.”

Another entry Whittle had yet to place in a room as of Tuesday night is a broach, made with a jewelry advertisement cut-out on metal paper and pearls, called “Feeding Desire,” by Mary Pearse, a visiting assistant professor of jewelry and metalwork.

Her entry is one of a series of 12 broaches and rings by the name of “Girls Play Games,” which she said is about how jewelry functions as an image in our society.

For Pearse, this exhibition is an incredible opportunity for people to see a variety of work not on display anywhere else close by. She only shows galleries in New York and Massachusetts, and she said the same is true for many other professors whose work will be on display.

“It’s important not just for students in the art department to see the work,” Pearse said. “But other students in other colleges can see what’s be done, as well as other faculty.”

The opening reception will offer light refreshments, while most of the artists will be around in one of the two galleries, or taking part in some of the other inaugural events, including a viewing of photographs in the “New York Buildings Speak” series by Stephen Scheer, a photography professor, which will take place in the plaza gallery on the third floor.

First year student work will also be presented along the walls on the third floor beyond the gallery.

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What: Faculty Exhibition 2008

Where: Gallery 101 and Gallery 307 of The Lamar Dodd School of Art

When: On view Sept. 5-Oct. 3

Opening reception: Fri., Sept. 5, 5-7 p.m.

For information: visit www.art.uga.edu