On February 27, junior art majors showcased their artwork at an exhibition in the McCarthy Art Center. The host of this event, Brian Collier who was unable to stay for the duration of the event, wanted to prepare the juniors for their senior year where they will be expected to participate in art shows on campus.
“It’s a cool thing for the juniors to do because as an art major, it’s mainly the seniors getting recognition for artwork and events,” said Deirdre McPhee ‘19, a current senior who attended the exhibit. “The juniors deserve recognition and this gallery is able to do that for them as well as let them celebrate their work. The exhibition acts as an introduction to what the juniors will be expected of for next year.”
McPhee worked alongside of Professor Coullier to help put together the Exhibition for the juniors. Many senior art majors attended the event to support the juniors to commemorate them for all their hard work they have been doing.
“This whole process has been a lot of work but definitely worth it,” said Cameron Smith ‘20. “It’s awesome for us to do and I’m glad we had the opportunity to showcase our art to the public.” Cam’s artwork was a dedication to his Grandmother who recently passed away. “A lot more planning goes into art itself than actually doing. I put in a total of about six hours to assemble my piece, but I had to plan out what I was going to make for my project, what materials to use, and where to buy them.”
“I like art because I’m able to express myself through my artwork,” said Sarah Donnelly ‘20. “My ultimate goal with art is to make a living off of it. Even if I’m not making a ton of money I would still enjoy being a full time artist.” Her pieces had her own face painted onto the body of the cartoon.
Katrina Pietz ’20 used her artwork to raise awareness f the damage single use plastic does to seaturtles. “Building the structure or skeleton on the inside is waht took the longest,” Pietz said of the turtle sculpture shown on the right. “The reason I chose to do this was because I watched a painful video of generous people pulling a straw out of the nose of a seaturtle. I thought that making up a life sized turtle would help to raise awareness and make people think before they use plastic straws.”
The McCarthy Arts Center offered a good space and welcoming atmosphere for the artists and viewers. All of the artists were pleased to be in McCarthy as they have most of their classes on North Campus. The senior exhibit will be held on Fri., March 9.