The Tarble Arts Center has the recent works of Louis Marinaro, a sculpting teacher at the University of Michigan at Ann Harbor, on display.

The Marinaro exhibition, “Recent Sculpture and Drawings,” opened Thursday, before this year’s Family Weekend festivities.

The artist also appeared and gave a lecture about his work at Tarble.

Michael Schuetz, the assistant director for the Tarble Arts Center, said Marinaro works primarily as a sculptor and an educator.

Schuetz said the attendance for the lecture was really good and many people turned out for it.

“It was great. We had 81 people attend the lecture, so that was a good turnout for us,” Schuetz said. “People asked questions afterwards and it was a good mix of students and faculty. I think we had about four or five faculty members here.”

Some of Marinaro’s works feature drawings by the artist and a few sculptures as well.

“Sometimes, they’re prefatory drawings for the sculptures, sometimes they are standalone drawings,” Schuetz said. “All the drawings in the show are considered standalone drawings, so none of the drawings (in the exhibit) are really studies for any of the sculptures.”

Like other modern artists featured at Tarble, Marinaro was nominated to come here by members of Eastern’s faculty.

“Louis was here as a selection of the ‘Excellence in Fine Arts’ program, which runs through the dean’s office of the Arts and Humanities,” Schuetz said. “Louis was here as a visiting artist. He did a lecture and he did some (graduate critiques).”

The Marinaro exhibition is currently in the eGallery of the Tarble Arts Center, replacing the previous exhibition, Shona Macdonald’s “Ground Covering.”

The exhibition features different drawings and sculptures of the artist, including some drawings of the human body and some drawing of trees and nature.

“He’s done a number of small bronze (sculptures) and he also has done a number of large scale, outdoor commissioned works,” Schuetz said. “(He) mostly works with bronze.”

Other than the Marinaro exhibition, Tarble has two more exhibitions coming before the semester is finished. These future exhibitions include the faculty exhibition and another artist exhibition.

The Marinaro exhibition will be in the eGallery in the Tarble Arts Center until Dec. 6.

Luis Martinez can be reached at 581-2812 or lpmartinez@eiu.edu