The exhibit “Quotidian Moments through Different Lenses” features the collaborative and individual works of Magnolia, Arkansas artists and Southern Arkansas University art professors Rhaelene Rollins Lowther and Anna Zusman. Also on view in the Price Gallery is “Magnolia Through the Lens of SAU Artists,” a companion photography exhibition showcasing work by beginning photography students from SAU. The exhibitions will be on view in the Merkle Gallery from January 5–29, 2026 with the public reception with the artists on Thursday, January 8, from 5:30 to 7:00pm.
Lowther and Zusman began their collaboration during the pandemic, when occasional walks along a local trail evolved into a daily creative ritual. Their shared observations—shifts of light, overlooked details, and unexpected visual moments—sparked conversations blending art history with personal experience, revealing how differently each artist approached the same subjects.
Rhaelene Rollins Zusman, who grew up in the former Soviet Union and later lived in major U.S. cities including New York and San Francisco, brings an outsider’s eye to her figurative, metaphor-rich, and often surreal work. Influenced by artists such as Albrecht Dürer and Bernie Wrightson, her distinctive hatching technique appears in both her traditional and digital drawings. Her work has been featured in exhibitions and publications nationwide and internationally.
Anna Lowther, by contrast, was raised in rural Western communities and draws inspiration from everyday experiences, natural cycles, and the interplay of beauty and cruelty. With a background in painting, digital media, and a decade in the video game industry, her work explores pattern, movement, and shifting focal points, often through series that build narrative through repetition. Collaboration continues to be a central force in her practice.
Working from identical prompts, the artists revealed striking contrasts in interpretation. A dented car bumper, for example, became a surreal portal in Zusman’s drawing, while in Lowther’s hands it transformed into a study of pattern and composition. Over time, themes of transformation emerged—weather, light, seasons, lifecycles, and decay. What began as a short-term experiment has evolved into an ongoing artistic dialogue that informs both their studio work and their teaching.
The companion student exhibition, “Magnolia Through the Lens of SAU Artists,” was guided by the prompt “everything Magnolia.” Students explored subjects connected to their local community and surrounding area. Photography professor Steven Ochs reviewed submissions and narrowed the field to approximately 70 works, from which Lowther and Zusman selected the final pieces. The resulting exhibition highlights a wide range of Magnolia locations and themes, emphasizing strong formal composition and visual storytelling.
Southern Arkansas University’s Department of Art, Design and Mass Communications offers seven degree paths for students, all of whom study photography as a core component of their education. Through the use of light, composition, and careful observation, students learn to communicate ideas and personal perspectives visually. The photographs on view reflect the diversity of student interests while underscoring photography’s power as a universal language for expression and connection.
Together, these exhibitions celebrate Magnolia through multiple lenses – faculty and students, observation and interpretation – inviting viewers to slow down, notice the quiet details of their surroundings, and consider how everyday moments can inspire creativity.
SAAC’s galleries are free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit us at 110 East 5th Street in El Dorado or call 870-862-5474.