Senior art students show off collections in Ben Bailey Art Gallery…
Colorful, storytelling pieces from senior art students filled the walls of the Ben Bailey Art Gallery on Friday, Nov. 13. For art students, this marks a milestone in their art career as it inches them closer to graduation.
“The senior art is exhibit or the BFA show is the culmination of their whole four years here into this one show. Our students are put together into a group show, just like you would in a professional environment, and they set up the entire exhibition based on their last semester’s work. Everything in the show was new artwork that no one had seen before. It’s a culmination of their whole four years here into this one show,” Department Chair of Art Communication Theater Todd Lucas said.
Senior students gained the opportunity to display their artwork and introduce the inspiration for each of their pieces. Most students had at least five pieces on display that showcased their passion and stories.
“The concept behind my piece is that I wanted to transition death to life. I manipulated clay into different shapes and had each slab curve. These are 10 pieces that I’ve made over the past two semesters…All the professors have something to offer, they are all very knowledgeable. It is pretty much our fault if we don’t take advantage of the knowledge,” Rubie Contreras, art major, said.
The Art Gallery was filled with a diversity of art pieces, ranging from ceramic pieces to photography and acrylic paintings.
The art program is dedicated to creating real-world experiences for the aspiring artist. Throughout their artistic careers, students are encouraged to join different shows and display their work in the community.
“I was never exposed to a community like this in Falfurrias, because it is not much of an art town. This has all been very different for me, and it has been a really great experience and I plan to further the rest of my career in grad school,” Mabel Garza, art student, said.
Students expressed some of the lessons learned from being part of the art program.
Their journey as art students came full circle as they gather all the skills and put it on display for a final show.
“I’ve learned a lot, especially because we have so many talented professors here. Each of them bring a different set of skills, and each have taught me something very different…Each class I’ve taken here has prepared me in getting my pieces ready for a show. This was my end goal,” Bianca Perez, art student, said.