MCCC Professor Mel Leipzig Hosts PORTRAIT OF A COLLEGE Lecture Today

In one of his final tributes to the college he has called home since 1968, Fine Arts Professor and renowned painter Mel Leipzig will present "Portrait of a College" at Mercer County Community College's Trenton Campus today, April 10 at noon. The presentation takes place in Kerney Hall, located at 102 North Broad Street.

In his slide lecture, Leipzig will discuss approximately 50 paintings of current and past MCCC faculty members, staff and students. He explains that he will not focus on technique, as is typical, but instead will describe the people he portrays and the stories behind these people.

"I love the college," Leipzig says, noting that he does not know of another painter who has chosen to make his colleagues and students a main focus of his or her work. He estimates he has painted more than 100 portraits of his MCCC friends and students during his prolific career.

Leipzig observes that he is selective about his subjects. "Usually I have to like them," he says simply. "I paint everyday life and set people in their environment, which says something about them." He has captured staff members in their offices and homes, and has painted others in their work setting, such as the college cafeteria and the mailroom.

Among those whose portraits will be featured in the lecture are current faculty members Art Schwartz, Andrea Lynch, Bob Pugh, Michael Welliver, Michael Dalton and Kyle Stevenson. Portraits of many other MCCC staffers, including those who have retired or have passed away, will also be included.

Leipzig has been a professor of Fine Arts and Art History at Mercer since 1968. His works are part of the Permanent Collections at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Academy Museum and the Cooper Hewitt Museum, as well as the New Jersey State Museum.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact MCCC's Trenton Campus Provost's Office at (609) 570-3160.

Professor Leipzig will present his final lecture at MCCC on Tuesday, April 23 at noon as part of the college's Distinguished Lecture Series. In "A Lifetime Devoted to Painting," he will provide an overview of his artwork spanning 60 years, beginning with paintings from his high school years through his recent work. Free and open to the public, Leipzig's talk takes place in the Communications Building, CM107, on the West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. For more information, call (609) 570-3324 or visit the website at www.mccc.edu.

Pictured: Leipzig's "The Cooking Teachers" features faculty members Frank Benowitz, left, and Doug Fee, of the Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management program. Leipzig presents "Portrait of a College" at Mercer County Community College's Trenton Campus on Wednesday, April 10 at noon in Kerney Hall, 102 North Broad Street. For more information, visit www.mccc.edu.

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