An art exhibit featuring pieces by juniors in the Sweet Briar College studio arts program will open Tuesday, March 20, in the Benedict Hall Gallery. An opening reception for the artists will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. The public is invited and admission is free.

The show will run through April 1.

This self-portrait by Melissa Hardison will be on display through April 1 as part of the Junior Art Show. The exhibit will include oil pastel and charcoal drawings by Lauren Burke, of Gaithersburg, Md.; self portraits by Melissa Hardison of Tallahassee, Fla., and photographs and etchings from Alyson Napier of Keysville, Va.

For Napier, a 2004 graduate of Randolph-Henry High School and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy C. Napier of Keysville, her muse is the Charlotte County countryside.

“My work is inspired by the beautiful scenic landscape of my father’s farm, the rustic barns and buildings on the farm as well, and my love for nature,” she said. “Taking photographs is a way of expressing my passion for art and nature.

"Window Pane," by Alyson Napier, will be on display.“Napier, a studio art major and art history minor, also is enrolled in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at Sweet Briar. Her goals are to teach art or photography in the public schools and open a gallery to display work by students and local artists.

“Art is my passion in life,” she said. “And I believe when you can find that passion you can truly be happy and content in life.”

Gallery hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Friday and 1 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Admission is free. For more information, contact Rebecca Massie-Lane, galleries director, at (434) 381-6248 or rmlane@sbc.edu.

– By Suzanne Ramsey, SBC staff writer