Northwest Missouri State University has unveiled "Art Left Behind: Exploring Decades of Creativity," an exhibition featuring student artworks discovered in the storage rooms of the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building. Curated by students Brooke Reyes, Jeri Walters, and Sammy Ward, the show presents a selection of prints dating from the late 1960s to the present day. The collection largely consists of works created under the guidance of former professor Phil Laber, ranging from abstract compositions to social and political commentaries.
This exhibition serves as a visual archive of the university's pedagogical history and the evolution of printmaking as a medium over four decades. By rescuing these "forgotten" works from the basement and placing them in a formal gallery setting, the project highlights the enduring value of student experimentation and the role of archival discovery in academic art settings. It also provides the student curators with professional experience in selection, research, and exhibition design as part of the university's Women's History Month programming.