KRIS HARRIS
Staff Writer
Having your work displayed publicly can be a rewarding experience for artists. It allows people to connect to their work and see a piece of what an artist values.
Members of the campus and community have the opportunity to see the work of seniors of the School of Visual Arts and New Media (VANM) during their second senior showcase later this month.
This showcase will feature the works senior graphic design majors Rachel Barbato, Jack Weaver and Jimmy Scamacca; senior sculpture major Julian Perez; and senior animation/illustration majors Emma Roush and Hannah Shea.
The theme and direction of the show was put together by the students themselves. “me<->you,” the title of the showcase, relates to the idea of connections and relationships.
“Given that there are so many different kinds of artists and work in this show, we wanted to make sure we made compromise [on] the goal right from the beginning. We shared our ideas in a Facebook group chat and often took simple polls on what ideas, images or concepts we liked best. It was quite easy since we’d all agreed to work together,” said Roush, an aspiring toy designer who will be featuring handmade dolls in the gallery.
Since the students study different disciplines within the realm of visual art, there will be many different types of pieces displayed within the gallery with each artists finding their own unique place of inspiration for their pieces.
“My piece is an homage to the ordinary. I’m fascinated with the common, everyday objects/scenes and transforming them into extraordinary or clever works of art. My piece for the gallery uses porcelain slip-dipped cheese puffs that acts as ‘packing peanuts’ for an installation. The rest you’ll have to come and check out,” said Perez.
All of the showcases are part of ARTS 400: Senior Seminar taught by Barbara Räcker, who also serves as gallery director of the Marion Art Gallery. The opportunity is presented to BFA majors, yet BA majors are able to show their work with adviser approval. Besides preparing for their showcase over the past few months, the seniors also prepare themselves as artists in the working world, learning how to prepare resumes and artists statements.
The artists had to present summaries explaining their work to Racker in preparation of the show, wanting the students to understand how to constructively explain their work to an audience.
“It’s not just a cathartic expression of how they feel. Its purpose is to communicate and to engage people in their work,” said Räcker on the students bringing their work to the gallery.
“me<->you” will be in the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery from April 28 to May 4. The opening reception is April 28 at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public.