On March 26, Slippery Rock University’s art department partnered with the Butler Art Center and Gallery to host an artist exhibition for Senior Art Seminar. The exhibition hosted students majoring in fine arts who will be graduating this upcoming May.
Throughout the semester, the course introduced students to professional practices within the arts, such as artwork documentation, portfolio development, exhibition design and installation, and artist statement development.
For the course, the students created an Instagram account showing artist highlights, alongside promoting the event and showing the installation process.
Additionally, each provided an artist’s statement with their motivations, preferred mediums and insights into their works.
Throughout the exhibit, multiple forms of art were displayed, showcasing the wide range of mediums students prefer. Some works included metalsmithing, ceramics, sculptures, paintings, graphic design and fiber art.
Doris Short, professor for Senior Art Seminar, also attended the event to support her students and give a speech to the gallery viewers.
“We have a very interdisciplinary group, and the show is really coming across as that,” said Short.
The students all submitted multiple pieces that were showcased thought the exhibit, and many mixed mediums, highlighting the diversity of their work.
Alexa Rivero, exhibition lead, showcased primarily ceramic pieces. “My intention is not simply to depict, but to provoke awareness, inviting viewers to confront the realities I engage with,” Rivero said in her artist’s statement.
Rivero also notes that she focuses on nonfunctional, figurative pieces that merge anatomical precision with imaginative alteration, both of which help to shape the rawness and urgency present in her work.
Bailey Lundmark, installation lead, spoke briefly about the environmental motivation behind his works.
“I created my work for two reasons. One is to covey my emotions about the world, whether it’s the feelings that I have in a specific moment or my feelings about pollution and habitat loss,” Lundmark said in his artist statement.
Lundmark also encouraged viewers to see aspects of the natural world they may have overlooked and to reflect on human’s impact on Earth’s sustainability.
Some of the artists also hoped to expand their serieses that were showcased.
“With these, I just wanted to play with color. Typically, I do realism and this helped me get out of my comfort zone and have fun with it,” said Arica Angert. “I’m still working on this, I want there to at least be two more pieces.”
While showcasing their art was a major part of the exhibition, community building, supporting the arts in and of itself, alongside professional development were also major factors in the planning.
“We as artists want to build a community,” said Rivero, a fine arts and pre-art therapy double major. “This is a big outreach for some of our artists who have never been in a show before,” she continued. “And [Butler Art Center and Gallery] is a nonprofit organization as well. A lot of their funding comes from shows like this and selling the pieces that are showcased.”
Rivero and Lundmark both emphasized what a pleasant experience they had working with the staff at the center. Both said the staff helped them be more aware of the dedication and work it really takes to put on this show, and it was great to learn from them.
Alongside the students, assistant professor of art and graphic design, Doris Short, spoke at the event.
“I am very excited that we’re supporting Butler’s community, and that the students have this opportunity to showcase something for the general public,” Short said during her speech. “The students as a team have handled this whole process. Dealing with the staff here at the gallery, the installation, the documentation, the food, the music, basically anything and everything here today.”
More student works are available on the exhibition Instagram, @artist.generated, alongside their personal portfolio social media accounts.
