From Russian propaganda to French satire to Biblically interpretive paintings, the Palmer Museum of Art's current exhibit, New Perspectives: An Academic Selection of Paints and Drawings, has something for everyone.

In fall 2005, seven students enrolled in a class called Problems in Connoisseurship: Prints and Drawings at the Palmer Museum of Art.

The class was taught by Patrick McGrady, the Charles V. Hallman curator at the Palmer Museum.

For the course, students researched an art style of their choice. The exhibit, which is displayed in the wraparound gallery on the main floor, features seven sections, each showcasing a few of the artworks chosen by each student.

The individual sections, each containing four to seven pieces from the museum's existing collection, vary in style, period and subject matter, said Robin Seymour, Palmer Museum membership and public relations coordinator.

"I think it's a neat exhibition because the pieces are so different -- different subject matter, different techniques," Seymour said.

Sarah Holloran's (graduate-art history) part of the exhibition features 1920s and '30s drawings of famous buildings. Her selections contain drawings of Wall Street, the Chrysler Building and the Brooklyn Bridge, among others.

"It represents a time when the building was being championed as the greatness of American society," McGrady said.

Holloran said she chose the drawings because she found them interesting.

"A lot of people have told me they like the drawings because they're something you would put in your house," she said. "They are identifiable buildings that people can relate to."

While Holloran's chosen pieces center on style and subject matter, another student, Tina Swisher (graduate-art history), took a different route. Her five works are promotional posters done by artist Edward Penfield in the late 1890s for Harper's magazine.

The colorful, two-dimensional works convey a deeper meaning than their cartoonish nature suggests, Swisher said.

"The posters were directed toward the up-and-coming upper-middle class that was aligning itself to become America's aristocracy," Swisher said. "It was an era when America was careening toward the modern culture."

Other students focused on style, such as Barbara Kutis' (graduate-art history) chosen works on an embossing and etching style begun in Paris, or theme, such as Kimberly Musial's (graduate-art history) display on the representation of women in art during 19th-century France.

Though the students received some guidance from McGrady, the project was largely individual, McGrady said.

"We're trying to train the students to start thinking independently," he said.

One benefit of the project was the ability of the students to study the actual art pieces, as opposed to reproduced copies or photographs.

"This was an opportunity to teach directly from works of art," McGrady said, "[The students] were able to live with the work for an entire semester."

In addition to the students' hands-on learning experience, the Palmer Museum also gained from the research project.

"The benefit was twofold," McGrady said about the venture. "The students get the connoisseur experience, and the museum gets research on our work."