Date: Fri 14-Feb-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

enjoy-artist-Virginia-Zic

Full Text:

SHU's Original Art Faculty In A New Exhibit

(with photo)

BY SHANNON HICKS

Virginia Zic began teaching art at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield in

1965, two years after the school opened. She was an artist long before that,

though, and never stopped loving - or sharing - her first love: Painting.

Virginia's home is tastefully adorned with examples of her works, found in

every first-floor room, representing different stages of the artist's

progression. While her home is clearly not open to public walk-throughs for

art lovers, the public will be able to enjoy viewing three of Virginia's works

in the current exhibition at The Gallery of Contemporary Art at Sacred Heart

University.

Ten art faculty members, including Virginia - the school's original art

faculty member - are represented in this year's annual show, which continues

until March 2. The artist says she has worked with a number of media - oil,

acrylic, gouache and oil sticks among them - but her choices for the faculty

show are purely watercolor.

Each faculty member has chosen three works from his or her repertoire, which

amounts to a fairly large show. Along with Virginia, who has been teaching at

Sacred Heart for three decades, are faculty members representing different

stages of their SHU careers, including three faculty members who began

teaching at the school just last year.

Virginia moved to Newtown from the Midwest in 1965, the same year she began

teaching at Sacred Heart. She was born in Chicago and attended DePaul, where

she received her bachelor's degree, then went to The Art Institute in Chicago

to continue her studies.

She worked towards her master's degree at Villa Schifanoia in Florence, a

graduate school of fine arts with a very limited enrollment - 30 students,

tops, of fine artists and musicians - all instructed by Italian teachers,

primarily art historians.

An estate filled with museum quality artworks and artifacts that was left to

the Vatican by Myron Taylor, an ambassador to the Vatican in the 1950s, the

school was a "very fascinating place," according to Virginia. The estate

itself was the home where the students lived, with adjoining studios

surrounded by beautiful formal gardens - a perfect setting for artists.

Unfortunately, the school has since been sold and has returned to a private

estate, so when Virginia visited Florence in 1985, 20 years after she

graduated, she was unable to explore the grounds again.

Fortunately, she has never lost her love of art. Painting, in particular.

"I was hired as `an art person.' For years I was the art faculty," the Newtown

resident said recently, discussing her continuing career at Sacred Heart.

Having worked nearly ten years in a part-time capacity at the university, with

classes "some semesters," Virginia says, it took a little while for the

university to see the need to provide more of a curriculum in its art vein.

Finally, with more and more students interested in taking art courses - and

Virginia trying to teach a little bit of everything - the university

established art as a major in 1975.

What followed was a natural step for the university: An on-campus art gallery.

By 1989, SHU's art faculty was presenting an annual show of its own works, in

addition to group and solo shows.

This year's Sacred Heart University faculty show, according to Jeffery Smith,

tends to feature works that are very realistic, very photographic in style.

Virginia's works, though, stand out not only for their strength in artistic

approach, but also by her presentation to the viewers.

"[Virginia's] pieces in the show ... deal with light and color. Her subject

matter is not representational, but certainly about something she has seen.

They're very focused in what the design is, but she kind of lets the paintings

run their course.

"Her pieces, in contrast to the rest of the show - most of the others tend to

be very realistic, very photographic - hers are very much on the opposite end

of the scale," Mr Smith continued. "It's a more ambiguous world."

The Gallery of Contemporary Art at Sacred Heart University is at 5151 Park

Avenue, Fairfield. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 12-7:30 pm;

Sunday, 12-4 pm. "The Faculty Art Exhibit" continues until March 2.