Fairly animated visit

Butch Hartman meets with students as art gallery exhibit opens with his work

Students and guests from College For A Weekend (CFAW) lined the corridors of Green Hall in anticipation for the opening of Butch Hartman’s new art exhibit at the season opening of Liberty University’s Art Gallery Thursday, Sept. 17.

Most widely known as the creator and executive producer of the hit animated series “The Fairly OddParents” and “Danny Phantom,” Hartman was invited to speak in classes and present at a Q&A forum attended by approximately 450 students.

“The Studio and Digital Arts (SADA) department invited Butch to display his work not only because of how talented and successful he is but because of his widely known profession of faith in Christ,” Graduate Student Assistant for the SADA Department Audra Rygh said.

Approximately 600 students and CFAW guests attended the opening of the exhibit, according to Art Gallery Assistant Chelsea Bevins. In total, nearly 1,000 people stopped by to view Hartman’s art collection that now adorn the Art Gallery in its new location at Green Hall. Hartman’s exhibit will run until Oct. 17 in Green Hall room 1995.

According to SADA Chair Todd Smith, having Hartman at Liberty was an overall educational experience for students.

“Butch Hartman was able to share life experiences that have helped shape his career,” Smith said. “To have a prominent creative of Butch Hartman’s caliber to visit the campus for several days, meet with students, and exhibit in our gallery is huge. He brings years of industry experience to the university.”

While the opening of Hartman’s new exhibit was a free event, signed prints and select original pieces of his artwork are currently for sale at the Art Gallery.

All proceeds from the artwork go to Watersprings Ranch in Texarkana, Arkansas, a residential facility that provides care and counseling for abused, neglected or abandoned children.

“We raised $2,823 through commissions and prints sold at the gallery opening,” Bevins said. “Total raised was $5,223 for The Hartman House for Watersprings Ranch.”

Rygh, who grew up watching “The Fairly OddParents,” thoroughly enjoyed the art exhibit.

“I thought that (Hartman’s) work was wonderful,” Rygh said. “It showed his multiple talents along with showing how intricate and interesting the world of animation truly is.”

The Hartman exhibit was in the planning process for about a year, according to Bevins.

Dean of the School of Communication & Creative Arts Dr. Norman Mintle and Smith met Hartman in California last year and recognized that he is a strong Christian in the industry and that his work appeals to a wide audience, Bevins said.

For the growing SADA department, Smith hopes to continue to expand the variety of opportunities that are available for students.

“We hope to grow our Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts in areas which will impact culture and position our students for leadership in the field of art and design,” Smith said. “Our students have shown that they can compete and win on the local, regional and national level.”

Overall, Rygh thought that having Hartman at Liberty was a wonderful experience for both students and professors and served to show that Liberty’s art department will
continue to flourish.

“It shows that we are becoming recognized for the work and talent that the students produce and for how our students will impact the world for Christ, just like Butch has,” Rygh said.

For more information about Liberty’s Art Gallery, visit liberty.edu/academics/communications/sada.

Bunner is a news reporter.

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