Senior art students showcase work downtown
Chatter could be heard throughout the first floor of the downtown Kleberg Bank as live music from the band filled the entrance. The start to Ranch Hand Weekend had arrived in Kingsville. The vibrant, handcrafted art pieces, sculptures and self-portraits created by Texas A&M University-Kingsville senior art students were on display for the community to see.
Each student got to display three works of art and answer questions pertaining to their pieces during the Nov. 18 senior art exhibit.
“This exhibit is the prelude to their beauvasuit,” Department Chair for the College of Arts and Sciences Todd Lucas said.
A beauvasuit is culmination of an art student’s undergraduate experience. Students pick their greatest art pieces and then reveal and present them to students, faculty and staff at the university, after hiding them all semester.
To prepare for the art show students prepared frames, art descriptions, pedestals and more for the downtown displays.
“Once they actually graduate they’re going to be doing shows like this if they continue to show and do their work, or if they actually become a school teacher they’re going to end up doing shows for their students or if they go on to graduate schools they’re going to end up doing shows to continue and develop a portfolio,” Lucas said.
One student presenting in the Senior Art Exhibit was Marco Nieto. He displayed three pieces, “Vivacious self,” “Break away” and “Junkyard Dog.”
“Essentially they are all just viewpoints of what I was going through at the time of the creation of the artwork and the idea of splitting away from yourself and becoming a better person as you go on through life and as you increase as a person, you want to split away from the person that’s dragging you down and letting yourself be the person you want to be,” he said.
Nieto says the mediums he uses depends on what he feels the most in the moment and lets the color and creativity take off.
“I hope that [my art] draw[s] inspiration to better themselves in everyday situations but to also express yourself in the way of creativity that no one else knows you to have,” Nieto said.
Although he did not start off as an art major, Nieto says his time in the art program has been nothing but great moments.
Each student had a different focus within their art work, and a different message to portray. For Nikole Salazar, God is the primary portrayal in her work.
“Most of my artwork comes from inspiration about God’s character. When I came to Kingsville, I had no church background but it wasn’t till I joined an [organization] Chi Alpha that I met Jesus here and so ever since then I’ve wanted to portray him in my art,” Salazar said.
A piece by Salazar she feels inspires her the most is her self-portrait, “Growth in Your Garden.” In the piece Salazar’s portrait is depicted in black and white, while the background engulfing her is a vibrant green with flowers and butterflies scattered throughout the piece.
“I feel like I’ve learned more about technically how art shows are supposed to go and how we were supposed to be very businesslike, very professional,” she said.
A total of 15 students participated.
