Two recent visual art students at County College of Morris (CCM) in Randolph will each have one of their pieces on display at the Morris Museum in an exhibition designed to explore how art teachers inspire and influence their students.
Emily Larosa, of Morris Plains, who graduated CCM in May with her associate in fine arts, will be displaying “The Telephone Poles,” an acrylic landscape painting. Heather Aurora Hardin, of Oak Ridge, will be displaying a mixed media “Self Portrait.” Their Professor, Todd L. W. Doney, of the Department of Art and Design at CCM, will be exhibiting “Tree Shadows, Feb. 8, 5:17 p.m.,” an oil on linen landscape.
The exhibition, titled “Four Colleges: A Student/Faculty Exhibit,” takes place Sept. 13 – Nov. 30 at the Morris Museum in Morristown.
“Surrounded by four colleges with wonderful art departments, the Morris Museum wanted to bring students and faculty together to showcase the talent in our backyard,” says Jody Marcus, curator, Morris Museum. “We also want to see if we can detect the influence art teachers have on their students.”
Doney says, “It really is amazing when you get to see how you have influenced a student. What’s even better is seeing how they take what they learn and expand upon that, which is why I asked Emily and Heather to include their work in the exhibit. Both have done an outstanding job building upon what they have learned.”

“I actually was really surprised he chose me,” says Larosa, who now will be working on her bachelor’s degree at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. “It’s an honor. It’s just cool.”
Also participating in the exhibit are the College of Saint Elizabeth, Drew University and Fairleigh Dickinson University.
To learn about the Art and Design programs at CCM, go to https://www.ccm.edu/academics/divdep/liberalarts/artdesign/.