Members from three Southeast Missouri State University Department of Art student organizations will be featuring their art in an exhibition that will display work completed during members' courses and independent studies.

The three organizations include Art Guild, American Institute of Graphic Art and Clay Club and will feature ceramics, digital art, sculptures and graphic designs. This is the first time this art exhibition has been hosted by the three organizations together and was created to bring the organizations together into one space to show students the different types of artwork that is done by the organizations.

River Campus Gallery coordinator Kristin Powers-Nowlin said this is a great opportunity for the students to have their work featured in the gallery.

"I consider our space to be a professional gallery and at least three times a year we exhibit a professional artist outside of campus, so the fact that students get to exhibit in that same space is pretty good for students," Powers-Nowlin said.

In past years the three organizations held their own exhibitions but thought this year it was time for a change. Though this is not expected to be as big as the student exhibit shown in the spring semester, Powers-Nowlin feels as if students are more excited about this one and the freedom of the art.

"I think the students get pretty excited about it because the one that happens in the spring is the big juried one that goes in the [Rosemary Berkel and Harry L.] Crisp [II] Museum, but this is the one where they can submit anything they want, so it's a little more open-ended for them," Powers-Nowlin said.

Southeast's illustration class instructed by Louise Bodenheimer will feature student depictions of American writer William Faulkner's most famous quotes.

La'Promise Stanford, a senior in the art department, is a student in the class and will feature her artwork along with the quote, "Some people can look at mud puddles and see an ocean with ships." She will feature her interpretation of this quote in a watercolor design.

Stanford feels as if this is a great opportunity for students to feature their art and show their peers what the art department has to offer.

"I feel as if it is important to show what we do as students at Southeast Missouri State," Stanford said. "No one would know what we're doing because we do it in the privacy of a classroom, so it's nice to have people from the outside see what we're actually doing."

Stanford went on to say how she feels students will learn from this opportunity to see how students interpret different things.

The art exhibit is free and open to all students and will be on display from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 3-13 with a reception on Nov. 7 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the River Campus Art Gallery. For more information contact the River Campus Gallery coordinator Powers-Nowlin at rcgallerycoordinator@semo.edu.