This October, the Genesee Center for the Arts is hosting an art exhibition called "Students and Teachers, 1931-2001: Pictures from the Collection of Robert Cooper." Robert Cooper, Assistant Professor of Photography at Genesee Community College, compiled the collection, which includes drawings and photographs, from the past 35 years. All of the subjects of the pictures, and in some cases the artists, are students or teachers, including some from Genesee Community College and the surrounding region. This exhibit opens with a free public reception on October 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Lobby Gallery of the Genesee Arts Center, at the Genesee Community College Batavia Campus.

Cooper is the creator of some of the images in this collection, but most are from a variety of other artists and sources -- from fourth grade students to mass media publications. "All the pictures in the exhibition were made by persons who have been, are, or will be students or teachers," he said. "The profound irony of post-modernism, since masterpieces are no longer relevant, is that the simplest student snapshot can be a masterpiece."

Cooper holds a master of fine arts degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He has been teaching since 1968, and currently teaches classes in both photography and art history at Genesee Community College.

The exhibition, "Students and Teachers, 1931-2001," continues through November 15. All exhibitions in the Lobby Gallery of the Genesee Center for the Arts are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and during the box office hours related to plays and events at the Genesee Arts Center. Call 716-345-6814 for more information about the exhibition.