LSU School of Art Professor Emeritus Ed Pramuk is the featured artist in The Southern Review’s first issue of 2010, its 75th anniversary year. Pramuk’s glacial artwork graces the cover of the latest issue, which was released this week, as well as several pages inside the literary magazine.

The winter issue also features a fable by Benjamin Percy, an excerpt from The Southern Review’s first resident scholar, Andrew Ervin, from his forthcoming book Extraordinary Renditions: 3 Novellas, nonfiction by Alex Lemon and Traci Foust, and poetry by local poet Ava Leavell Haymon, among others.

A special celebration in honor of the launch of the first issue of 2010 will be held Friday February 5 at 6 PM in the Bert and Sue Turner Gallery on the 3rd floor of the Shaw Center. The evening will include a special reading from the magazine, as well as a display of Pramuk’s works.

Pramuk taught painting, drawing, printmaking and design at LSU for 35 years, heading the painting area in the School of Art for 15 years. He pioneered the development of graduate pedagogical studies, which prepares students to instruct foundation courses in design and drawing, and was active in interdisciplinary activity culminating in projects bringing together the students and faculties of art, English, philosophy and music.

He retired in 2000 as professor emeritus, and continues to exhibit works on themes from nature, especially marine images from the Gulf of Mexico. Several of his large paintings are currently on view in the LSU Middleton Library and an exhibition of 20 paintings are featured at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation Headquarters.

CONTACT: STEPHANIE RIEGEL