Syracuse Sun

A special exhibition titled “On My Own Time—Celebrating the Artistic Talents of Syracuse University Faculty and Staff” was held in Bird Library earlier this summer. This year marks the 51st anniversary of the program, organized by CNY Arts, where faculty and staff were invited to showcase their talents alongside other employers and businesses in the region.

All active full-time and part-time faculty and staff were eligible to submit artwork for adjudication. Fine arts faculty and professional artists could submit works outside of their discipline. Artists had the opportunity to submit up to three original creations completed within three years of entry in various categories, including painting, metalwork, drawing, jewelry, collage/assemblage, printmaking, computer art, photography, woodwork, glasswork, sculpture, mixed media, ceramics, and fiber art.

Dana Sovocool, senior business partner in the Office of Human Resources, led the team coordinating Syracuse University's participation in “On My Own Time.” He noted a significant increase in artist participation compared to last year. "We moved the exhibition to Bird Library this year and we were grateful for the staff’s hospitality in accommodating this larger exhibition," he said. "The new location also facilitated greater visibility for the exhibition."

Meghan Murphy from the Department of Physics won the People’s Choice Award for her piece “Self Portrait in D Major.” Faculty and staff visiting the exhibition cast ballots for this award.

During the on-campus exhibition period, a selection panel including a CNY Arts representative chose pieces for inclusion in the “On My Own Time Grand Finale,” a five-week exhibition at the Everson Museum of Art scheduled from Oct. 5-Nov. 10. A reception will be held on Oct. 10 with tickets available starting September at onmyowntime.org.

The selected pieces include:

- “Matt,” a mixed media piece by Chris Madden from Marketing

- “Two Inch Square,” a fiber art piece by Donna Movsovich from College of Law

- “Eventide,” a photograph by Ronald Thiele from Libraries

- “The Weaver,” a photograph by Scott Samson from Earth and Environmental Sciences

- “On a Tight Leash,” a photograph by Joseph Stoll from Geography

- “Table Runner 2,” a fiber art piece by Elizabeth Lance from Research Development

This year's participating artists included Richard Breyer (Newhouse School), Harriet Brown (Newhouse School), Robert Burkhart (Facilities Services), Shelly Collins (Newhouse School), Meghan Graham (Human Resources), Deanna Grannis (Marketing), David Harris (Accounting), Dennis Kinsey (Newhouse School), Laura Knaflewski (Marketing), Elizabeth Lance (Research Development), Marie Luther (College of Visual and Performing Arts), Chris Madden (Marketing), Olivia Melinski (Advancement), Donna Movsovich (College of Law), Meghan Murphy (Physics), Shikha Nangia (Biomedical and Chemical Engineering), John Olson (Libraries), Christina Papaleo (Diversity and Inclusion Office), Kelley Parker (Libraries), Scott Samson (Earth and Environmental Sciences) Joseph Stoll(Geography) Ronald Thiele(Libraries) Margaret Voss(Nutrition & Food Studies) Autumn Wallingford(Marketing).