'Process and Product' shows at student gallery

Center City is not the only place where one can appreciate fine art. The Penn Student Gallery, located in the Houston Hall Bowl Room, has a lot to offer both artists and visitors. The gallery sponsors three exhibits each semester, the most recent of which is "Process and Product," now showing in the Houston Hall Bowl Room. An opening reception for the exhibit was held on Thursday afternoon in the Bowl Room. The gallery, now in its third year, is the University's first student-run, non-profit art gallery. The gallery is run entirely by undergraduates and is a SPEC-funded organization. College junior Jessica Winegar is the director of the program. "Our main goal is to enliven the arts community because it can be really stifling," said Winegar. "It's important for student artists to be able to show their work in a gallery and get criticism." Winegar said that the artists are undergraduates and graduate students, ranging in major from Fine Arts to Entrepreneurial Management. "Process and Product" includes the preliminary and intermediate stages of art on display with the final works. The preliminary works include photographs and sketches which the artists used in their creative processes. College senior Evan Bernstein, the gallery curator, said she is enthusiastic about the idea. "It is a bit unusual, and people are shocked," said Bernstein. "It is important for people to realize that art is not a single inspiration but a process involving a lot of work." Ardeth Anderson, a third-year graduate student in Fine Arts, is one of the five contributing artists to "Process and Product." "It is a really good idea," said Anderson. "I never realized how much process I go through with photos and sketches. The process is often lost in the final product, though it can sometimes be the most interesting part to the artist." Anderson also said that she feels that the Penn Student Gallery is an asset to student artists. "As an artist, it is really good to take your work out of the studio and into a gallery, where you can see your work from a distance," Anderson said. The patrons at the opening reception admired the works and were able to meet a few of the artists. Paula Kowalczyk, a second-year graduate student in Fine Arts, said she liked the theme of "Process and Product." "I think it is a good idea for a show," said Kowalczyk. "You really get to see what went on in the artist's head." The gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. "Process and Product" will run through March 19.