Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2009-04-03

The Samford University Library will display oil paintings by Japanese artist Soichi Watanabe through April 17.

Watanabe, artist in residence at the Overseas Ministries Studies Center in New Haven, Conn., is author of Jesus Walking With Us (2004). A resident of Koshigaya City, Saitama, Japan, Watanabe teaches at a private art school he founded in 1982.

His paintings, which Watanabe says he considers "my own humble responses to God's calling in my life," have been displayed in many solo exhibitions. About 25 works are included in his Samford exhibit, sponsored by Beeson Divinity School's Global Center.

The exhibit, located on the second floor of the library, is available for view during regular library hours: Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-1 a.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.-1 a.m.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.