WT Professor Explores ‘Magenta Mornings,’ Dancing Tumbleweeds in Levelland Art Exhibition

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — A West Texas A&M University art faculty member’s explorations of her new home will be on view at South Plains College beginning Oct. 9.

Anna K. Lemnitzer’s “Chaos Theory” will be on view through Nov. 17 in the Christine Devitt Fine Arts Gallery at the college, 1402 Barnes Drive in Levelland. A closing reception is set for 5 p.m. Oct. 30.

“Since moving to the Texas Panhandle, I find myself inspired by the mist of magenta mornings, the quick knife of the wind, and the expanse. I have watched tumbleweeds dance and the spider weave,” said Lemnitzer, who joined the WT faculty in fall 2021 as an assistant professor of art and design. “My current body of work intertwines and plays with repetition in form, pattern and color of this diverse region through mixing materiality both in two and three dimensions.”

Lemnitzer moved to the Panhandle area from the Allegheny region of Pennsylvania and previously lived in Montana, Arizona and Oregon. 

Nowhere before had she ever encountered the Panhandle’s iconic wide open spaces, nor a natural landmark like Palo Duro Canyon, nor the explosion of colors that burst across the sky at sunrise and sunset. 

“I have a giant window in my bedroom, so I see these beautiful colors of the sunrise,” she said “I usually am inspired by the people around me, their patterns of behavior or their personalities. It’s been a long time since I’ve been inspired to create art about a place, so this is a lot of fun for me.” 

Lemnitzer earned her Master of Fine Arts in art from The University of Montana School of Art in 2012, and her bachelor’s degree in art education from The University of Arizona School of Art in 2005.

She teaches primarily foundations and digital art at WT.

“We are thrilled to have Anna on campus as a way to recruit for WT’s department and offer a way for our students to see the work of their faculty. We hope to continue this collaboration with future projects in the fine arts areas,” said Kristy Kristinek, SPC assistant professor of fine arts and gallery director. “Anna’s work is delicate yet powerful and offers a sense of place and memory through her gestural marks. The idea of existing in a place that revolves around such a harsh environment and landscape, her work exits the threshold of what it means to live in West Texas both abstractly and in a physical way.”

Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For information, call 806-716-2261.

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 One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $150 million.

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.

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