The Third Floor Gallery is an experience for all Texas A&M-Commerce students to enjoy, and it hosts a multitude of photographs by artists with many different styles.
According to Shelly Cervantes, gallery coordinator and senior at A&M-Commerce, the gallery is run by the Third Floor Photo Society.
“At the beginning of each semester, we sit down to decide what shows will be displayed and seniors get first pick,” Cervantes said. “Hopefully, students shoot photos during the breaks so we typically have a Christmas Break show and a Spring Break show.”
The gallery is currently hosting The Road Trip Show, which was produced by four students including Lauren Greathouse, Jordan Inge, Denea Males and Jacob Botter. They decided to take a road trip to see their professor Stan Godwin, who recently retired, and put their talents to good use on the way there.
“We decided to go on a road trip over the summer, but we weren’t sure if we were going to go east or west,” Denea Males, graduate student at A&M-Commerce said. “Stan was the deciding factor since he moved from Commerce about three days prior to our trip.”
The group traveled from Baton Rouge, La. across country to visit Godwin and stopped at many places, including Graceland, Gettysberg, Penn., and The George Eastman house (the founder of Kodak). The group also stopped to see Tom Sewell and Barbara Fly, professors that had previously taught the group, said Males.
“Jake and Lauren, who are two graduate students at LSU, had done shows similar to this in the past and being that we were all photoghaphers, it was the opportune time for us to put together work to be showcased,” Males said.
Overall the students traveled over 4,700 miles and camped out continuously along the way.
“The greatest part was completing the experience and overcoming the challenge of that long of a trip,” Males commented. “Four people in a cramped space and camping the whole way was a huge challenge.”
The gallery will host the show through Sunday, March 11 and will open a new show called the Emory Marshall Experience, March 12 through the 15.
“The show will be a collection of my work that I have experienced at this school,” Emory Marshall, photography major and senior at A&M-Commerce, said. “It will focus mostly on environmental portrait work and travel work.”
Future show plans for this semester include the Big Print show that will open March 25. The gallery will also host a show from LSU photographers which will open April 4 and run approximately two weeks.
The Third Floor Gallery is open Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., and is located on the top floor of the journalism building.