Graduating WT Student Artists to Be Featured in New Exhibition

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

CANYON, Texas — A trio of student artists will be in the spotlight for the final exhibition of the 2024-2025 arts season at West Texas A&M University.

The spring show for seniors graduating with their bachelor’s in fine arts will open May 8 in the Dord Fitz Formal Gallery in Mary Moody Northen Hall on WT’s Canyon campus.

Featured in the show, titled “Have You Seen Me,” are Stormy Rhea Chavez, a senior art major from Lubbock; Mayra Flores, a senior art major from Greeley, Colorado; and Rebecca Schlenker, a senior art major from Friona.

Chavez created a cryptid bestiary that explores a fantastical world that blurs the line between reality and fiction.

Flores made plush, playful wall reliefs and correlating prints that reference her Hispanic heritage with humor and humility.

Schlenker produced ceramic sculptures that refences the human body as it relates to religious architecture, and the interior space it creates.

“The show’s title references the multiple viewpoints of inner lives that artwork can reveal,” said Jon Revett, art program director and the Doris Alexander Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts. “All of these young women have honed their practice into different forms of expression that are the culmination of their undergraduate education.”

The show will open with a 5 p.m. May 8 reception and will be on view through May 23.

Fitz Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and by appointment Fridays, Saturdays and following spring commencement. Email jrevett@wtamu.edu.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is 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 $165 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. 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 more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and 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.

Photo: A trio of West Texas A&M University seniors will collaborate for “Have You Seen Me,” opening May 8 in the Dord Fitz Formal Art Gallery. Pictured are, from left, “Cologne Cathedral” by Rebecca Schlenker, “Nøkken & Unicorn” by Stormy Rhea Chavez and “Corazón de Melón” by Mayra Flores.

—WT—