Cimetière du Nord in Rennes, France by Hilary Lindler.

Michael Campbell captured this photograph of a building in France.

Liz Goettee's photograph of a coastal scene in Australia.

The experience inspired Petrovich-Mwaniki to help organize a student art exhibit, “Three Lenses Abroad: Photography by Hilary Lindler, Michael Campbell and Liz Goettee,” which opens Thursday, Jan. 11, in the atrium gallery of the Fine and Performing Arts Center. A reception for the exhibit, which will be on display through the end of the month, will be held from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 23.

“As art majors, these students are trained to look at and interpret the world from different perspectives,” said Petrovich-Mwanki. “This exhibit reflects the first impressions of a culture and a new environment. It is an invitation for others to take the leap and experience this inspiring world in a new way.”

Lindler, a senior from Cornelius, studied the French language, art theory, art history and studio art in France during her junior year. “While some images depict the unrest that surrounded the university student strikes of 2006, the rest are, by and large, cemeteries and ruins that I visited during my travels,” Lindler said.

Campbell, a Pensacola, Fla., native who graduated in December, spent his senior year in France studying the French language and art.

“I like to capture abstract images that have layers – natural reflections you might see in puddles of water,” Campbell said. “My goal is to share a different way to look at the normality of things that we see every day.”

Goettee, a Marietta, Ga., native who graduated in December, spent a semester at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.

 Not only did I learn several techniques at the university, but the experience also opened my eyes to the beautiful world that surrounded me,” she said. “I hope my experience will not only inspire but also motivate other students to travel abroad.”

For more information, contact Lois Petrovich-Mwankiki at (828) 227-3433 or lmwaniki@wcu.edu.