Senior business administration major Haley Washington admires a sculpture during the Hammond Regional Art Center’s exhibition honoring Marjorie Morrison. Sarah Hess/The Lion’s Roar

The Hammond Regional Arts Center honors one of its founders with an art lecture. 

On Thursday, Feb. 22, Professor of Sculpture Jeff Mickey discussed a few chosen pieces from the “Marjorie Morrison Sculpture Biennial” exhibition.  He elaborated on pieces from artists and professors Jean Flint, Ernest Milsted, Steven Schepker, Dale Newkirk and Benjamin Netterville during an open-ended discussion with the audience.

“I think it went really well,” said Mickey. “We had twice the anticipated participation, so that was good. We had about 30 people here, so that was a positive. We talked about things that everybody here enjoyed speaking about or listening to someone speak about.”

Senior art major Veronica Hall used the lecture to support and learn more from her mentor Mickey. 

“My mentor is Jeff Mickey, so anything that he does, I try to support him,” said Hall. “That’s my main reason, but also I love sculpture, and I love art, so I figured I’d stop by.”

Hall has become a regular at HRAC, especially after working across the street at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts. She enjoys shows where art discussions are created such as Mickey’s discussion on sculpture design. 

“I really like when Jeff talks,” said Hall. “I always come whenever he lectures. It’s kind of a really good twist on what you are experiencing. It makes sense, and it makes you feel more connected to the works that you are viewing whenever he talks about something like this.”

Hall compared the lecture to Mickey’s discussions during courses.

 “I’ve been to some of his talks, and I’ve had his classes,” said Hall. “This is regularly the way he lectures in class. It kind of makes you as a student connect to the artwork that you are looking at and critiquing whatever we happen to be talking about.” 

Hall enjoyed having the chance to form her own opinions on work and comparing it with other attendees’ thoughts on the pieces. 

“I like having the chance, kind of like what I did today to walk around and look at everything myself, then having more of an open discussion with either the artist or someone who is interpreting it for themselves,” said Hall. “It’s going to be different for every person. No matter what you look at, whenever you look at it, it’s going to be your own interpretation, your own baggage, which you bring to it.”

Mickey expressed how flattered he was that university students came to hear his lecture.

Mickey explained the theme of the night and his choice behind the pieces he chose to discuss. 

“As a curator, you’re giving a charge to produce a show, and the theme of the show was sent by the board of directors,” said Mickey. “They wanted to talk about the memory of Marjorie Morrison who was an outstanding arts supporter in our area. So thinking about that memory, that was the theme for this show, but there’s a lot of other things that go into that process. I think it’s hard not to make art with an absence of memory, and so all art in a sense is about how we’ve interacted with our own experiences. And so, I think that’s a lot about memory.”

This memorial of Hammond art helped Morrison’s legacy live on by inspiring and creating a gathering of local artists. Mickey described his thoughts on this form of a memorial. 

“I don’t know that any one particular piece is representative of her with the exception of Steve Schepker who did something directly referential to Marjorie Morrison,” said Mickey. “I think what it speaks to is the fact that we have people in this space engaged in a conversation about art, and that’s what’s wonderful about Marjorie Morrison’s legacy.”