Beyond books: Oxford Library charts new paths for artistic inquiry
Two exhibits now on display in the Oxford Library highlight collaborations with the Michael C. Carlos Museum and campus classes to inspire budding artists to take risks and push beyond their own perceived limits.
The collaboration is highlighted in two exhibits now on display in the Oxford Library. The first, “Start of the Line,” features nine works displayed in partnership with Emory Libraries and the Michael C. Carlos Museum’s Works on Paper collection. The second, “Land and Sea,” features paintings by students in Assistant Professor of Art Mary Johnson’s Spring 2025 Introduction to Painting class.
The projects were facilitated by Jacob Lackner, a teaching and learning librarian at the Oxford Library and subject librarian for art history and studio and visual arts, who worked with Johnson in several of her classes. “From the beginning of her time at Oxford College, Mary has been an enthusiastic and imaginative partner to the library,” says Lackner. “We share a strong belief in the power of art and information to transform artists and their audiences.”
Andi McKenzie, the Carlos’ curator of the Works on Paper collection, guided first-year students in Johnson’s Drawing 1 class through the creative process of professional artists, empowering them to take risks in their own art. “Looking at the pieces and learning the context of their origins helped me realize the benefits of planning out a drawing or other work thoroughly, as to be prepared for the real deal,” says first-year student John Allison.
For “Land and Sea,” Johnson’s painting students were asked to consider a piece in the Oxford Library stacks or on a library database and respond to it through their own painting. “Students could respond to the artist’s technique, composition, subject matter, or color strategy. They could think about their painting being a prequel or sequel to the original artist's work, a retort, an agreement, or a question in response to the painting," says Johnson.
In the panel introducing the exhibit, Lackner wrote: “The title of this exhibition comes from the artist statement of one of the featured student painters. Morgan Cook wrote, ‘I focused on the tension between edge and openness, between land and sea, stillness and erosion’ about the process to create Highway 1. While each student started with a different goal and made different decisions, this fundamental divide between presence and absence repeats from painting to painting. Whether in the painting studio or somewhere else, this journey of self-expression and representation is fundamental to a liberal arts education.”
Amelia Meyers 26Ox works as a studio technician and helped curate the exhibit. “I learned that this was not just a collaboration between the studio and library but a collaboration among the students themselves. It was fun to see how they influenced one another and find the throughlines in their work,” she says.
“I went into the Introduction to Painting class with previous experience in painting and drawing, but this class stripped everything back to the basics. It made me approach art in a way I never had before, and it helped me overcome my perfectionism because the class was not focused on the final outcome but on experimenting with techniques and thinking creatively.”
The project also illustrated the value of creativity as part of a comprehensive liberal arts education. "The painting class was the perfect class for me, as all my other classes were STEM classes that I was taking for my nursing major. The required outside class time provided me with the ability to just sit and paint for a few hours a week, which was therapeutic for me,” says Margaux Davis 25Ox.
Lackner hopes to continue collaborating with the visual arts classes at Oxford in future years and to build on the relationship with the Carlos Museum. Both exhibits will be on display until December 2025 and are open to faculty, students, staff, and the public.
Read more about Oxford’s partnership with Emory Libraries and the Carlos Museum here.