By Olivia Jones

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Mettle, the UK Art Faculty Exhibition, opens to the public Sept. 16 until mid-December.

Mettle is defined by courage and resilience and quality of character.

Current teaching artists created many of the artworks specifically for this exhibition to encourage interpretations.

The show will hold more than 20 pieces, ranging from sculptures to new media and everything in between.

Not only does the type of art vary, but the size of the pieces too.

“I just love the diversity — so many different kinds of art,” Art Museum curator Janie Welker said. “The pieces are both fun and challenging.”

Staff members are setting up the exhibit in preparation for Sunday’s grand opening.

“Installation was challenging,” Art Museum registrar Bebe Lovejoy said.

“Each piece has specific needs, different needs. Some of the artists even installed the pieces themselves — only they know what they want it to look like.”

A vast collection of contemporary art can be seen at the exhibit. Shades of reds, blues, yellows and more fill the museum with materials as diverse as the globe. Twenty-foot-long ribbons, carved textbooks and ordinary objects are cleverly manipulated into art.

“The artists have pushed the envelope and made you think, ‘What is that?’,” Art Museum director Kathy Walsh-Piper said.

Referring to one of the pieces, Walsh-Piper said, “I look at that and at first see a turkey heart…then maybe a custard donut. It makes you think.”

Friday night, the museum is holding a reception for members and the artists.

Members have a chance to preview the art before the opening and talk to some of the artists.

Once opened, admission is free for all alumni, active and retired military, and students.