NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Art galleries operated by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art will be closed Sunday, Nov. 22, through Monday, Nov. 30, for the Thanksgiving holidays.

"Our galleries are normally closed on Sundays and Mondays," explained Christian Cutler, director of SFA galleries, "and since SFA begins its Thanksgiving break on Wednesday, Nov. 25, we decided to close on Tuesday, Nov. 24, as well."

Three exhibitions will still be available for viewing at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House when it reopens on Tuesday, Dec. 1. Downstairs in the Ledbetter Gallery, visitors can view "The Texas Church Photography Project," which includes 30 photographs of 19th and early 20th century Texas churches, a carved altarpiece by artisan John Sievers, and Sievers' woodworking tools. These unique artifacts are on loan from the Witte Museum in San Antonio. The show runs through Saturday, Jan. 23.

Upstairs in the Reavley Gallery, the "Burnley-Schol Studios" exhibition will continue through Saturday, Dec. 5. The artists, Don R. Schol and Pam Burnley-Schol, will give a gallery talk during the show's closing reception at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4.

A selection of Mata Ortiz pottery is on exhibit in the upstairs hallway. The hand-formed and intricately painted pots are created in much the same way that the artists' ancestors of ancient Paquimé fashioned their pots in the Pre-Columbian period. Many of the pieces are still available for purchase.

Also on display at The Cole Art Center are 20 ornaments bearing original works of art by local artists and available for sale through the SFA Friends of the Visual Arts' "Hooked on Art" fund-raiser. All proceeds from the fund-raiser benefit the SFA art scholarship fund.

Prior to and during the "Hooked on Art" closing reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, people can bid on the ornaments that are designated for the silent auction or purchase raffle tickets for those that will be raffled.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. in downtown Nacogdoches. Its regular hours are 12:30 to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

A series of shows by SFA candidates for the Master of Fine Arts will be exhibited in Griffith Gallery during the first three weeks of December. The gallery is located in Room 208 of the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus. Its hours are 12:30 to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information on the galleries or any of the exhibitions, please call (936) 468-1131.