MSU kicks off art gallery season with exhibition by Professor Emeritus Brent Funderburk

Mississippi State University Professor Emeritus Brent Funderburk stands in his studio with his watercolor painting "From Who I Am to Where I Am Going." — Mississippi State University Professor Emeritus Brent Funderburk stands in his studio with his watercolor painting “From Who I Am to Where I Am Going.” Funderburk will showcase his paintings and drawings spanning the 1980s through recently completed pieces Aug. 17-Sept. 17 at MSU’s Cullis Wade Depot Art Gallery. (Photo submitted by Deborah Funderburk)

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s Department of Art is opening its 2021-22 gallery season with an exhibition of works by a respected professor who served the university for nearly 36 years.

Professor Emeritus Brent Funderburk will showcase watercolor creations in “Here and There: Paintings and Drawings – 1981-2021,” on display Aug. 17-Sept. 17 at MSU’s Cullis Wade Depot Art Gallery, second floor, MSU Welcome Center, 75 B.S. Hood Drive. Viewing hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Admission is free to the month-long exhibition, as well as a Sept. 9 public reception, 5-7 p.m., at the gallery.

The gallery will hold special Saturday hours for audiences to view the exhibition:

—Aug. 28, Noon-2 p.m.

—Sept. 4, 1-3 p.m.

—Sept. 11, 4-6 p.m.

Funderburk plans for proceeds from the sale of artwork in the exhibition to be made as a donation to the art department. To purchase artwork in the exhibition, contact Funderburk at bfunderburk@caad.msstate.edu.

Lori Neuenfeldt, MSU art instructor and gallery director, said the Department of Art looks forward to welcoming visitors, especially new students and faculty, to an exhibition of “incredible” work by an internationally recognized artist.

“I can’t think of a better way to express our appreciation for Professor Funderburk than with a show celebrating his early work from the 1980s through his most recent pieces finished in the past three years,” she said. “By coming to the exhibition, our visitors will be part of something special.”

A North Carolina native, Funderburk retired in 2018 after almost four decades in the state’s largest undergraduate studio art program, including service as department head and fine arts thesis coordinator.

During his MSU career, Funderburk was honored with the university’s John Grisham Faculty Excellence, Burlington Northern Teaching Excellence and Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence awards. The William L. Giles Distinguished Professor was named a 2016 Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award recipient.

Funderburk’s paintings have been featured in national and international exhibitions. He is one of four artists featured this summer in the Watercolor Artist article “Inspiration in Bloom.” His painting “Soul House (Blue)” was featured in June in Artists Magazine’s annual competition publication SPLASH 22 – The Best of Watercolor.

A fine arts graduate of East Carolina University, Funderburk was named official artist for the Jackson-based USA International Ballet Competition in 2010. For additional biographical information, visit .

In addition to art, MSU’s College of Architecture, Art and Design offers bachelor’s degrees in building construction science and interior design, as well as the state’s only professional architecture degree accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. Learn more at .

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at .

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