Stephen F. Austin State University

Every imaginative creation begins with a point of inspiration. For Stephen F. Austin State University students enrolled in advanced painting and writing classes, the inspiration was provided by fellow classmates.

Dr. Matthew Batt's English students were challenged to write a story based on a painting created by Dr. Chad Erpelding's art students. Conversely, Erpelding's art students were challenged to create a work of art based on stories written by Batt's students.

The students' finished products will be displayed through Friday in Rooms B141 and B143 of the SFA Art Building, located off Wilson Drive near the Arboretum.

Students from the two classes worked together Monday afternoon in the gallery, positioning their art and their stories side-by-side. "The students didn?t meet or talk about these," Erpelding said, as his students measured and marked the places where their paintings would hang.

Batt unwrapped the stories his students had written and mounted on white foam core for display. There were no word limitations, beyond what the students could fit on a page, he said.

Erpelding said this exercise was an overlapping of creativity, allowing students to exchange ideas from one medium to another. Batt described it as an opportunity for his students to communicate and converse with students involved in another form of art. "This was a chance for them to be actively engaged in a larger art community," he said.

The art and the stories displayed in the gallery "represent the whole spectrum of artistic endeavor," Batt said. This was the first time the two professors have embarked upon such a project, and Batt said there were challenges in the logistics of coordinating two classes and 80 projects. But he said it all came together, in the end.

Hannah Zuniga, an SFA senior from Conroe, said it was interesting to create something based on a piece written by a complete stranger. The two stories she illustrated through her art were quite diverse. One was about a girl molested by a family member over the course of several years. The other focused on a girl who befriended a dog chained to a fence.

"It was challenging," Zuniga said of her efforts to create art around the stories. "But it was a chance to express creativity in a different way."

English student Sunshine Dearman, an SFA junior from Nacogdoches, said it was interesting for the writers to try to interpret the art students? work and to build a story around it.

"Writing always takes a form of its' own," she said. "I liked this challenge." Batt said the project was based on the premise that art inspires other artists.

A public reception is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 28. Regular gallery hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information, contact Erpelding at 936-468-4248 or Batt at 936-468-2413.