The New Gallery at the Austin Peay State University Art and Design Building is bringing in the new semester with its first artist-in-residency exhibition: “New Beginnings” by award-winning painter and printmaker Soulaf Abas.

“New Beginnings” is inspired by a 2012 trip Abas took to visit her family in Syria one year into the Civil War. Her artistic response to this experience led her to explore the effects of war and grief on personal identity.

“New Beginnings” is not just a title; it reflects how Abas sees what can be found when it feels like all is lost. Abas’ paintings depict abstractions of smoke and fire, but also shimmering sunrises and green pastures.

“You see blue skies and fresh spring, and then you see the fire and the smoke, that’s the beauty being destroyed. As you continue observing, you still see the blue skies peeking through the smoke. That is the new coming over and starting over again,” said Naomi Hunt, a senior art student who assisted in organizing this exhibition.

The exhibition couldn’t be more timely. “New Beginnings” feels like a fitting theme not only for Abas’s work, but also for the gallery itself. Gallery Director Michael Dickins, who joined APSU in 2014, left APSU this semester. His departure has opened the door for a fresh chapter, with the gallery now run by students, assisted by Professor Barry Jones and other Art and Design faculty.

“Mr. Dickins was a really good director for the art gallery, and we’re all going to miss him, but I think that change is good, and I think that his leaving is going to allow me to kind of step up and really learn how he did what he did. So it’s a new beginning for me,” said Hunt.

Dickin’s legacy continues as the gallery enters this new chapter, opening doors for additional student involvement and creative exploration.

Later in the semester, Soulaf Abas will appear at APSU to deliver a gallery talk and an artist lecture. Be sure to stay updated on the APSU New Gallery webpage and their social media.