Shorter University Art Department Chair Kelly Mills is among a select group of Georgia fine art professors to have their work featured in an exhibit at the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art. His photography is featured alongside art by faculty members from Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta College of Art and Design, the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School and nine other institutions in the state.

The exhibit, titled “Academy/Academia,” is a juried exhibition of artwork by current and former Georgia art professors. Mills has two large, 7-foot panoramas in the exhibit, including one that was in last spring’s survey of Georgia artists exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia. Mills is one of the few faculty featured in the Marietta/Cobb Museum’s exhibit who work in private, non-professional art departments.

The Academy/Academia exhibit will be on display from Jan. 9 through March 26. An opening reception will be held Saturday, Jan. 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. For additional information, including gallery hours, visit the museum’s website at www.mariettacobbartmuseum.org.

“My photographs are the antithesis of the Picturesque aesthetic so dominant in contemporary photography,” Mills said. “God made everything interesting and beautiful. In this particular body of work, I employ my knowledge of photographic process to transform insignificant spaces into dances of gestural movement crackling with graphic energy.

“On a personal level,” Mills added, “it’s a considerable honor to be included with some of the top art educators in Georgia, both current and past. As an educator, I believe it is consistent with the high level of professionalism and achievement demonstrated by all Shorter University faculty.”

Dr. Alan Wingard, dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts at Shorter, agreed, citing Mills’ inclusion in the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art exhibition as an example how the university’s fine arts faculty enrich student learning through their own artistic endeavors.

“Shorter University’s School of Fine and Performing Arts is committed to providing the best arts training for our students, and that commitment includes having faculty members who are actively engaged with their disciplines. Kelly Mills is an extraordinarily talented photographer and having his work recognized alongside other outstanding art educators from across the state is a wonderful example for our students. Students learn best from teachers who teach by example, and Shorter is blessed to count so many of these individuals, including Mr. Mills, among our numbers.”

In addition to serving as chair of Shorter’s Art department, Mills is director of the university’s Arnold Art Gallery and assistant professor of art. With a broad background in fine art and commercial photography, he has worked as an Emory medical photographer, the manager of TBS corporate photography, and MARTA’s staff photographer.

He has taught photography at Savannah College of Art and Design, Johnson County Community College, Avila University, and the Kansas City Art Institute. He has served in community-based arts organizations including Atlanta Photography Group, Nexus Contemporary Art Center, and Society for Contemporary Photography.

Founded in 1873, Shorter University is a Christ-centered, four-year liberal arts university committed to excellence in education. The Princeton Review annually includes Shorter on its list of best Southeastern Colleges. Shorter is a member of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). The university offers traditional bachelor’s degrees in 40 areas of study, online courses and degree programs, undergraduate programs for working adults, and four master’s programs. Learn more about Shorter at www.shorter.edu.

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