Jody Barbuta, assistant professor of art at Pacific Union College, will showcase her recent works in "A Present Figure" at PUC's Rasmussen Art Gallery from January 10 through February 5. An opening reception will be held at the gallery from 7-9 p.m. on January 10.

Barbuta's exhibit will feature work from the past three years to the present. "During this period I have been interested in notions of time and human design," said Barbuta. "In these pieces, I've endeavored to look at the poetry of design, the nature of the creative act and the paradox embedded in these."

The materials she chooses for her sculptures are often simple, such as wood, wool fibers and clay. "They are directly related to my motives of considering the beautiful mystery of 'created' and 'Creator'," said Barbuta.

Barbuta graduated from CSU Stanislaus in 1994 and received her MFA from the New York Academy of Art in 1996. She joined the PUC art department faculty earlier this year.