Mississippi State University is proud to present a new exhibition of work by William L. Giles Distinguished Professor of Art, Brent Funderburk.

More than half of the watercolor, acrylic paintings, and charcoal drawings in the exhibition, Here and There, are new works from the past three years. These recent pieces are shown alongside artwork dating as early as the 1980s, when Funderburk and his family first arrived in Mississippi from his native North Carolina, progressing through his years teaching at MSU, and including his seven years of service as head of the Department of Art. After 40 years of teaching, Funderburk retired in 2018. “Since jumping away from teaching, I’ve been in a ‘one-person class’, traveling to New Mexico and the west, to the Appalachian Mountains, and, mostly, into the backyard, studio and woods where I live in Mississippi.”

New drawings from the series “Inside Nature” are started from life in the outdoors and accent the artist’s lifelong love for natural form, color and movement. Recent, large watercolor paintings reveal Funderburk’s celebration of flora. The “Second Blooming: Re-Inflorescence” series was featured, with awards, in national and international exhibitions and in the current (Summer) issue of Watercolor Artist, as well as in Splash: The Best of Watercolor (2020 and 2021), and Creative Quarterly - A Journal of Art and Design.

According to the artist, “My wife, Debby, often my creative spark, seems to recognize such overlooked potentialities long before I do. Whether here or there, works of art created over four decades have been generated from the flowers, woods, rocks, skies and micro-worlds just outside my back door – home.”

Here and There: Brent Funderburk - Paintings and Drawings 1981–2021 will be open to the public August 17–September 17, 2021 in the Cullis Wade Depot Art Gallery, located next to Barnes and Noble Bookstore on MSU's campus. Gallery hours are Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm.

Public Reception: Thurs., Sept. 9, 5-7p.m.

The gallery is open special Saturday hours for audiences to see the exhibition:

• August 28, 12–2pm

• September 4, 1–3pm

• September 11, 4–6pm

Visit his website for more information on artwork by Emeritus Mississippi State University Department of Art Professor Brent Funderburk. 

Watch the Aug. 2021 From the Gallery episode featuring Funderburk