NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Senior interior design students at Stephen F. Austin State University will showcase their talents during the "Essence of Design" exhibit on display from Feb. 17 through April 5 on the second floor of the Steen Library on the university campus.

The exhibit is open to the public and will kick off with an opening reception from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 17. Randy Johnson with Johnson's Furniture is sponsoring the reception along with Lufkin Printing sponsoring the invitations.

Each of the 10 students is allotted a 64-square-foot area to create a display that showcases his or her personality, skills and design philosophy. Each area is equipped with a TV monitor to display the student's portfolio of work developed at SFA.

The exhibit achieves multiple objectives within the interior design curriculum, including readying student portfolios for the job-search process; encouraging student self-assessment; allowing students to experience the complete design process, including conceptualization, design development, fabrication, installation and evaluation; communicating the scope of interior design education to the public; and providing a recruitment tool for the program.

To schedule a guided tour for future Lumberjacks or high school students, contact Sally Ann Swearingen, SFA associate professor of interior design, at (936) 468-2048 or sswearingen@sfasu.edu.