Cardboard, oils, graphite and GI Joes have temporarily taken over the Rike Center Gallery, beckoning students and staff to come inside.

Entitled 'RE: PLACE / BE: LONGING,' the exhibit features work from five artists who express their take on a theme invented by Jeffrey Cortland Jones, a professor in the Department of Visual Arts at UD.

'I had an idea of a topic that I wanted to explore with regard to place and identity in contemporary art,' said Jones, who believes that people can learn a lot from seeing how issues of place and belonging are manipulated in art. 'The work is exquisite and the artists are extremely competent in their craft.'

Denise Burge, a teacher and academic advisor for School of Art undergraduate students at the University of Cincinnati, is one of the artists featured in the exhibit.

Her piece, entitled 'Mountain #2,' is made from a variety of materials including yarn, felt, mirrors and artificial flowers. People can relate to different parts of Burge's mountain, which is coated in the colors and emotions of everyday life.

Doug Davis, the second artist selected for the exhibit, has taught elementary students in the Wilmington City School District for 21 years and is currently working on his master's at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

'I was inspired by the people of Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati,' said Davis on his pieces. 'It has a reputation for being one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Cincinnati, yet the people in my drawings were willing to let a total stranger intrude into their lives.'

Davis hopes people see the subjects of his drawings as 'warm, open, human beings,' which is what he thought while drawing them. In 'Diva' and 'Cool,' he proves that an ebony pencil can capture human expression and tell a story without words.

Matthew Miller-Novak, a UD professor from the Visual Arts Department, is also featured in the exhibit. His piece, 'The Bayou: A Story of Love, Tragedy, and Revenge #1-5,' brings GI Joes to life through a series of digital prints. Miller-Novak's manipulation of the infamous action figures is intense and amusing; even Mattel would be intrigued.

Kevin Muente, the fourth artist featured in the exhibit, teaches all levels of painting at Northern Kentucky University. The free-flowing streams and wispy clouds in his oil paintings provide a temporary escape from the stress of everyday life.

Standing in front of 'Storm Over Sable Pass,' viewers feel the warmth of sunshine covering the desolate field that Muente paints in bright yellows and greens.

'I try to find places that excite me, places where I'd like to spend time to resonate with my spirit,' he said.

The fifth and final artist featured in the exhibit is Keith Benjamin, the associate professor of foundations at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. His three-dimensional pieces are carefully crafted and interesting to look at from all angles.

'I use materials that surround me everyday,' he said, which is only obvious after one takes a closer look and discovers where he got the cardboard to create his art.

Though each artist differs in technique and innovation, their pieces come together in harmony to convey the exhibit's abstract theme.

'RE: PLACE / BE: LONGING' is on display in the Rike Center Gallery until Feb. 2 with admission free and open to the public.