Among the first exhibitions curated by new UI Museum of Art Director Sean O'Harrow, the UI Art Faculty Show turns an old adage about teaching on its head.

O'Harrow fiercely challenges the notion that "those who can't do, teach." Instead, he offers a glimpse at the wide range of talent among the School of Art's studio faculty—teachers who are masters of the

PHOTO: Thomas R. Aprile, Untitled, 2010 The UIMA's faculty exhibit illustrates the skill of renowned studio arts professors.

latest techniques, theories, and advances available in their chosen crafts.

"I hope to communicate the idea that it's because they teach that they are at the forefront of their fields," says O'Harrow. "I'm not sure people understand or appreciate the quality of instruction we have at the University of Iowa, yet what you'll see here is work that reflects cutting-edge thinking in the world of art."

Aptly titled "Those Who Can," the show is the first such faculty exhibition since 2007. It is now open through March 6 at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, which has made exhibition space available to the UIMA since the devastating flood of 2008.

Featuring current work from internationally acclaimed studio arts professors, the show highlights pieces from roughly two dozen UI faculty artists, several of whom—such as Virginia Myers (printmaking) and Chunghi Choo (jewelry/metalsmithing)—are considered the finest of their generation. Displays include painting, sculpture, inter-media, mixed media, metal arts, photography, three-dimensional design, and graphic design. The exhibit is dedicated to the late Tom Aprile, professor of sculpture, who died unexpectedly last September, and also includes a piece he was in the process of completing at the time of his death.