“Student • Athlete • Artist,” an exhibition of paintings, drawings, pottery and photographs by eight Wofford student-athletes, recognizes their accomplishments as artists while they pursue their classical liberal arts college degrees. These students are majoring in such fields as biology, English, physics and art history, and they are members of the football, soccer, volleyball and cross country teams.

The exhibition is on display in the Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery in the Campus Life Building through March 2.

Among the artists represented is Mitch Allen (Class of 2011), starting quarterback for the defending Southern Conference Champion football team. He also is a major in physics, with minors in mathematics and computer science. He is an artist, painting in oils and acrylics. He is Wofford’s Renaissance Man.

A fifth-year senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, Allen possesses expertise in academics, athletics and the arts.

“I like to be well rounded,” Allen says. “I think that is important. It is cool to be able to demonstrate skills in various different aspects of life. It is something that I enjoy and something that I will continue to do.”

With a cumulative 3.96 grade point average, Allen obviously excels in the classroom. “I am a hard worker and that is what it comes down to with academics for me,” he says. “I see it as a challenge to succeed in the classroom because it is something that is very difficult. I would not say that I am the smartest guy even on the team, but I work harder than just about anybody.

“Science and math are my subjects,” Allen adds. “I am better with numbers than I am with words. That is what I like to stick with academics. I don’t like to jump over into politics and things like that too much. I would rather be learning about physics or chemistry or math.”

Painting has been an interest for Allen for much of his life that he’s continued to hone without much formal instruction. “It is something that I love doing,” he says.

Other student-athletes whose works are in the exhibit are:

Alyssa Burkert of Ocoee, Fla., Class of 2014, cross-country
Ellen Ezekiel of Vestavia, Ala., Class of 2013, soccer
Elizabeth Hall of Mount Pleasant, S.C., Class of 2012, soccer
Josh Holt of Ventura, Fla., Class of 2014, football
Amanda Liguori of Jacksonville, Fla., Class of 2014, volleyball
Trey Parker of Sumter, S.C., Class of 2013, cross-country
Erin Walklet of Apex, N.C., Class of 2015, soccer
The art exhibition is free and open to the public. Hours in the Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon to 6 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.

(Image provided by Wofford.)

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