Artist Carol Hummel, who is currently working with West Virginia University art students, faculty, staff and community members to cover a tree near the Creative Arts Center with colorful knitted and crocheted yarn, will present a visiting artist lecture at the Creative Arts Center, Thursday, Sept. 19.

The lecture begins at 5 p.m. in Bloch Learning and Performance Hall (200A) and is free and open to the public.

The tree, a Willow Oak, is part of an art project in conjunction with Morgantown’s 2013 celebration of “The Year of the Tree.” Hummel has created similar installations in Cleveland Heights, Ohio; Chicago, Ill.; Drangedal, Norway; and New Delhi, India. She will be discussing the tree projects as well as her artwork.

The WVU tree will be completed on the same day as Hummel’s lecture. Students and faculty in the School of Art & Design’s sculpture studio, directed by art professor Dylan Collins, have been working all week with Hummel to attach the colorful blue and gold yarn and crocheted pieces to the tree.

In addition to students and faculty, many people from the local community took part in the project, making the knitted and crocheted pieces for the tree, including many residents of The Village at Heritage Point.

The tree is located near Patteson Drive between the WVU Coliseum and the Creative Arts Center. Once completed, it will be on view for at least a year and will be even more visible once the leaves begin to fall.

Hummel will also have an exhibition of her works at the Creative Arts Center’s Mesaros Galleries during Oct. 10-Dec. 10. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture and a Bachelor of Science degree in photojournalism from Kent State University, as well as a degree in Graphic Design and Photography from the University of Cincinnati. She is the founder and international coordinator of Raghurajpur International Art/Craft Exchange in Raghurajpur, Orissa, India, and has also completed numerous workshops in subjects such as metal lathe, forging, woodworking, pata chitra painting, wood and stone carving, cow dung toy making, palm leaf carving and papier-mache mask making.

For more information, see her website at http://www.carolhummel.com.

For more information about the lecture, or the tree art project, contact the College of Creative Arts at (304) 293-4359.

-WVU-

cl/09/18/13

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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