The department of art and art history presents two new exhibitions in Wayne State University galleries in September.

The 1999 Faculty Exhibition opened Friday, Sept. 17, and continues through Friday, October 22, in the Community Arts Auditorium.

Faculty members come together once a year for the art show. Their talents combine the media of painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics and graphics, computer and interior designs.

The "So What Kind of Name is That? Exhibition," which offers paintings with text by Ken Aptekar, opened Thursday, September 23, and continues through Friday, Nov. 19, in the Elaine L. Jacob Gallery.

The exhibition opened with a 5-7 p.m. reception Thursday, Sept. 23, in the Elaine L. Jacob Gallery and an Artist's Lecture followed at 7 p.m. in the Music Recital Hall, adjacent to the gallery.

This is the first Detroit show for Aptekar, the son of two Wayne State arts alumni. He grew up as a second-generation Jewish American in Detroit during the'50s and '60s and his artistic focus results from experiencing the conflicts of communities in transition. He saw Midwestern Jews striving to assimilate into society and African Americans asserting their identity and revolting against their restrictions.

About 17 paintings are in the show. The works are reproductions of paintings and have text etched onto glass. Each painting narrates an experience; the text and the story it tells relate to the image it covers.

This exhibition is co-sponsored by the department, Elaine L. Jacob Endowment, Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies and Friends of the Gallery.

Hours for the galleries are 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday - Friday and 11 a.m. - 5p.m. Saturday.

For more information call Sandra Dupret, gallery curator, at (313) 577-2423.