Fine Arts students display works in exhibit

An exhibition of first year Fine Arts graduate students' paintings, sculptures, printmaking and installation works opened last night in the Lower Gallery of Myerson Hall. The exhibit is an opportunity for these students to display new work produced in the program over the last few months, said event organizers. Not only was all the work student-produced, but the presentation was completely coordinated by graduate students, who made decisions ranging from publicity and the actual hanging and locations of the pieces to the food served at last night's premiere. "There were committees formed to make decisions about publicity, installation and other aspects of the opening," said first year Fine Arts graduate student Donna Rim. "A great deal of thought was put into where every piece of art was placed in the gallery." The experience of going through all the stages of an exhibition served as a learning process for the artists involved in the program, they said. "The students got to learn about the whole act of exhibiting,"said Bill Cromar, the gallery manager and facilitator of the exhibit. "In this way the exhibition serves as a dress rehearsal where the students learn about the professional act of displaying art work." Cromar said this showing was important because it allowed the students to "[get] their feet wet." One purpose of the presentation was to show a preview of what these art students have yet to produce. "This is the work they're doing in order to get to the work that they will be doing," Cromar said. The presentation was also unique because its works did not have an overall theme. The works ranged from representational painting and drawings to art produced from ready-made objects such as bagels and dog biscuits. "The show displays a great variety of pieces," Rim said. "In a lot of graduate programs the works of the students resemble each other because the teacher exerts his opinion on the students. This is not the case here, which is apparent in the uniqueness of the works presented." The students said they are happy with the exhibition's results. "The exhibition is a great way for us to get to know each other through each other's work," said first year Fine Arts graduate student Linda White. "This is the first time we've seen each other's work."