Beauty and the Beast: Herman Mhire

In conjunction with the Festival of Arts the Fletcher Hall Gallery presented Beauty and the Beast: Herman Mhire, a solo exhibition of new digital archival prints by Herman Mhire. Mhire’s digital prints exemplified a diligent collaging practice that exhibited a range of imagery that inspired, but also showcased the unlimited possibilities of this digital practice.

Herman Mhire is a Distinguished Professor in the College of the Arts at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he taught in the Department of Visual Arts from 1977 until his retirement in 2005. He also served as Director/Chief Curator of the University Art Museum for 17 years, where he envisioned and established the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum. Additionally, he is the founding president of Festival International de Louisiane, the largest outdoor, free Francophone arts festival in the United States. Trained as a painter and printmaker, Mhire holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette (1969) and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arkansas (1972). 

Mhire’s opening reception kicked off the Festival of the Arts. Mhire also conducted student critiques within the Department of Visual Arts, and gave a professional development lecture, and an artist lecture on his professional work. The College of the Arts is grateful for Mhire’s time and dedication to his residency as this year’s SPARK Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree.