A journey to the southwest corner of the first floor of the Black Family Visual Arts Center reveals a dynamic and eclectic exhibition of student artistic achievement. Long desired by the faculty of art departments, the new space is a welcome addition to the student galleries in the Hopkins Center for the Arts, according to studio art chair professor Colleen Randall.
"The space in the Hop was great, but it was also very limited, especially for three-dimensional work and certain technologies that needed electrical outlets," Randall said. "The new space better solves these problems."
The student art gallery in the VAC is entirely curated and maintained by students under the direction of co-managers and studio art majors Luca Molnar '13 and Sabrina Yegela '13.
"There wasn't a lot of pre-existing infrastructure like touch up paint and light or planning, but it's an exciting experience," Molnar said.
The first exhibitions displayed works by the studio art interns, a group of four recent graduates.
"We're considered faculty and get to see an inside perspective, which is very cool," intern Malia Reeves '12 said. "I had several openings in the beginning of the Fall term alongside the other interns which I think was convenient in breaking in the new student space."
Reeves said that in the original plan for the VAC, there was no space allotted for student exhibitions. Because the gallery space reserved for students located in the Hop had poor attendance, the studio art professors fought to establish the new gallery space for students.
"The way you become an [aspiring] artist is to get your name out there," Reeves said. "It's hard if you have no room to showcase your art. Even if it's just a student gallery that doesn't get a lot of traffic, it's something."
Since the gallery's inauguration, there have been two separate student exhibitions. The first which ran from the middle of October to the end of the Fall term showcased four painters from the studio art department.
The current exhibition is titled "Fall 2012" and features the works of over 10 students who created art from a variety of media. Molnar said that all submissions were chosen for display, a trend she expects will change as people become more aware that the space is available. Two of the walls of the gallery are covered by about 20 total photographs and paintings. Another exhibition displays animation art ranging from drawings and flip books to final computer animations.
Reeves said that many students are now choosing to engage in more cross-disciplinary art. Though the schedule for future galleries has not been yet finalized, the unofficial theme will be "Cross-Campus Collaboration," according to Molnar. Future projects may include a partnership with the Sustainability Office to organize an environment-focused gallery which may feature dumpster diving and other collaborative art projects.
Molnar said she anticipates collaborating with musicians, senior jewelry and animation fellows and Geisel Medical School students who are part of Physicians for Human Rights, a nonprofit human rights organization, to host a symposium next month focusing on poverty.
"Because everything is so new, we're really open to new suggestions," Molnar said. "If someone approaches us with a project and we have enough time to organize it, we will do it. We only turned away people that we logistically could not accommodate."
While the flexibility of the new spaces of the VAC may be its greatest strength, the downside is that there is still a need for greater organizational clarity. Upon entering the VAC from the entrance embellished by Louise Bourgeois' "Crouching Spider" sculpture, one immediately encounters the Nearburg Gallery, donated by Charlie Nearburg '72 Th'74 in memory of his son. Though the gallery was intended to be used as an exhibition space, there is currently no set budget, staff or policy to manage the space, according to Randall. "Anyone wanting to use that space makes a proposal to the Dean of the Faculty's office," Randall said. "It is then discussed by the chairs of the studio art and film and media studies departments. It's all still being worked out."
As for the student gallery, Molnar said she hopes to see it develop into more than just an exhibition space.
"Someone threw around the term Art Lab' a space that fosters inspiration and collaboration that you wouldn't be able to experience in class," Molnar said.
Reeves said that because the gallery is still new, it is difficult to fully understand how the space has impacted its audience. However, Reeves said she believes that the gallery has already boosted students' pride in being art majors and in their artwork.
