The annual student art exhibition was held on May 4 in the Art Gallery to highlight the works of students on campus.

The gallery was a juried exhibition where students submitted their work and went through a jury process. The jury consisted of Art Professors Robin Johnson and Geri Donovan, Photography Professors Kathryn Mayo and Patty Felkner and Instructional Assistant Ray Neuharth.

Johnson and Donovan curated the student art exhibition. The theme for the exhibit was black and white artwork.

“This is the best one (student art gallery) by far,” Donovan said. “We have been working up to it and we had a conceptual exhibit last time, which I thought was a really good exhibit, but this one just because of the way it all hangs together is just beautiful.”

Donovan said she’s impressed with the students’ work this semester.

“We wanted something really striking and I think it turned out beautifully,” Donovan said. “We have all kinds of things here we’ve never had before and it just hangs together really well.”

Johnson said the exhibition displayed different art forms for everyone.

“When people come to this exhibition, they can see all the options that they have in the arts and the way the arts interact with each other and can be collaborative at times,” Johnson said. “I think it just opens up the student’s minds to what options are available to them.”

Nineteen-year-old art design major Max Ferrugia had two pieces of work in the exhibition, including a mural that was designed for the exhibition.

“I only had a couple of days to think about it, so I kind of just wanted to create something that was raw and eye-catching,” Ferrugia said.

Ferrigua said that entering his work into the exhibition was a good opportunity for his work to get seen.

Ferrigua’s favorite piece in the exhibition was his second piece, which was hung on the back wall of the gallery.

“The story behind it is that I would only work on it when I was frustrated or angry or sad for some reason,” Ferrigua said.

Twenty-four-year-old studio arts major Hao Kieu had three pieces in the exhibit.

“I don’t usually work in black and white, but I’ve had some work done in black and white while I was studying so it was an interesting challenge to have black and white work when I consider myself a very colorful person,” Kieu said.

Kieu said the pandemic turned him into an artist because he was looking for healthy coping mechanisms due to having a rough time.
“I was bored one day in the arts and crafts section in Walmart. I got a sketchbook and I thought to myself that I’ve never finished a sketchbook before,” Kieu said. “I challenged myself to draw one page a day no matter what it was and I just kept doing that.”

Kieu’s favorite piece submitted was the one he worked on in class titled: “The Wind Above the Water.”

“Professor Johnson kept us in the dark about what the assignment was,” Kieu said. “The assignment was to see how we could create lines with physical movement with our bodies like using your fingers.”

The student exhibition is open until Aug. 28 from Monday-Thursday. In order to view the exhibit, scheduling an appointment is required for most dates.

To schedule an appointment, click here.