Reflecting on Freedom: 250 Years Through the Eyes of WVU Alumni Artists Exhibition

Authors

• Sally Brown, West Virginia University LibrariesFollow
• Livia BalanFollow
• Ken HillberryFollow
• Yvette MazzaFollow
• Precious BurgerFollow
• Margaret Rose CaroFollow
• Ron HollingsheadFollow
• Betsy JaegerFollow
• Ruth YangFollow
• Tom OttFollow
• Nancy SwisherFollow
• Griffin NordstromFollow
• Ben NelsenFollow
• Morin NessimFollow
• Desiree VuFollow
• Ali PrintzFollow
• Tiera Joy TannerFollow
• Eliza SiefertFollow
• Stephanie AlanizFollow
• Raymond ThompsonFollow
• Sue ByrdFollow
• Michael VercelliFollow
• Lesley CottrellFollow
• Penny LipscombFollow
• Joshua LohnesFollow
• Kelly WatsonFollow
• Hal GorbyFollow
• Judith StitzelFollow
• Bonnie BrownFollow
• Bob BrittenFollow
• Renee K. NicholsonFollow
• Ellen RodriguesFollow
• Erik HerronFollow
• Mark BrazaitisFollow
• Alfgeir KristjanssonFollow
• Linda RosefskyFollow
• Joseph LupoFollow
• Beth RoyallFollow
• Evy WrightFollow

Document Type

Other

Publication Date

Summer 2026

College/Unit

WVU Libraries

Abstract

In honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary, the 2026–27 WVU Alumni Art Show invites viewers to explore freedom and independence through the eyes of West Virginia University alumni artists. This exhibition gathers a rich spectrum of perspectives—personal, historical, political, and cultural—demonstrating that the meaning of liberty is neither fixed nor singular. The exhibit also includes community responses to the work.

Portraits, abstractions, text-based paintings, mixed media, ceramics, and quilts collectively reveal the diverse ways artists grapple with liberty: as memory and inheritance, as resistance and care, and as lived, ongoing practice. By presenting these perspectives side by side, the exhibition encourages viewers to reflect on how history, identity, place, and action shape the possibilities of freedom and independence today.

Celebrating alumni creativity while prompting critical reflection, Reflecting on Freedom invites dialogue about our nation’s past, the freedoms still being fought for, and the inclusive, transformative visions of liberty that lie ahead.

The exhibition took place in Morgantown, WV, at the WVU Downtown Library and Nutting Gallery in the Erickson Alumni Center.

Digital Commons Citation

Brown, Sally; Balan, Livia; Hillberry, Ken; Mazza, Yvette; Burger, Precious; Caro, Margaret Rose; Hollingshead, Ron; Jaeger, Betsy; Yang, Ruth; Ott, Tom; Swisher, Nancy; Nordstrom, Griffin; Nelsen, Ben; Nessim, Morin; Vu, Desiree; Printz, Ali; Tanner, Tiera Joy; Siefert, Eliza; Alaniz, Stephanie; Thompson, Raymond; Byrd, Sue; Vercelli, Michael; Cottrell, Lesley; Lipscomb, Penny; Lohnes, Joshua; Watson, Kelly; Gorby, Hal; Stitzel, Judith; Brown, Bonnie; Britten, Bob; Nicholson, Renee K.; Rodrigues, Ellen; Herron, Erik; Brazaitis, Mark; Kristjansson, Alfgeir; Rosefsky, Linda; Lupo, Joseph; Royall, Beth; and Wright, Evy, "Reflecting on Freedom: 250 Years Through the Eyes of WVU Alumni Artists Exhibition" (2026). Faculty & Staff Scholarship. 3317.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/faculty_publications/3317