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‘I Am WT’ Podcast Shines Spotlight on Rural Mural Squad, Georgia O’Keeffe
Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu
CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University’s artistic outreach to the region is highlighted in the latest episode of WT’s student-run podcast.
Art program director Jon Revett and recent graduates Phuc “May” Truong and Loc Dao speak with “I Am WT” host Tearanee’ Lockhart in the latest episode, available March 23 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and SoundCloud, as well as at wtamu.edu/IAmWTPodcast.
The students and Revett, WT’s Doris Alexander Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts & Humanities, talk about the Rural Mural Project, which has painted large-scale murals in several WT buildings and many towns in the Panhandle region.
“I want (the murals) to be nonverbal communication, to communicate something positive,” Revett said. “They really do change the space. You can see these murals from across town.”
Revett also discussed the extensive process that goes into planning the murals.
Truong and Dao—who both hail from Saigon, Vietnam—also speak about their favorite projects, as well as their experience as international students on the WT campus.
Revett also talked about one of his more famous predecessors, Georgia O’Keeffe, the renowned American artist who taught painting and drawing at WT from 1916 to 1918.
“Georgia O’Keeffe is probably the first truly great American artist,” said Revett, who admitted that it took time for him to develop an appreciation for her work. “She’s not really derivative of any other art movement. … I feel privileged to have her job.”
Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.
That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign— which publicly launched in September 2021 —has raised more than $120 million.
In the biweekly episodes of “I Am WT,” student hosts Lockhart, a senior advertising/PR major from Amarillo, and Brae Foust, an Amarillo native pursuing his second bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, interview WT faculty, staff, students and alumni about what WT means to them.
Audiences hear stories about how attending or working at WT changed the lives of the guests, and how they’re making a difference in their community.
About West Texas A&M University
WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.
—WT—