Student Art Exhibition: “Tell Your Truth”

The Rasmussen Art Gallery hostedthe annual Student Art Exhibition on Thursday evening, April 14. The exhibitionis a showcase for the department of visual arts, receiving 127 entries from in-classwork and independent art pieces that included painting, photography, sculpture,and ceramics.

A packed crowd spilled out of theeast wing of the gallery and into the foyer as Cheryl Daley, instructor of fineart, presented awards to 39 students across 12 different categories. Small cashprizes were given to students finishing in the top three or receiving honorablemention in each category.

Visitors spent the two-houropening circulating the room, admiring the student works placed throughout thegallery. “This was my first time entering the art gallery and it wasphenomenal,” said Krista Bathan, a junior communication major. “The studentshere on campus are very creative and did an incredible job.”

Michael McGinnis, the inventor ofthe 2013 Toy of the Year, the Superplexus, and a former Rasmussen Art Galleryfeatured artist, judged the exhibition and offered advice to the aspiringartists from afar: “Regardless of your ultimate career goals, make art a partof your lives, both as an expressive outlet of great value and as an aestheticelement in your daily living. Art is a fundamental element of the humancondition. Never be afraid to break boundaries, tell your truth, and learnsomething new.”

He continued, “Some of thepaintings, drawings, and ceramics were very skillful and beautiful, but moreimportantly, most of the projects throughout the gallery represented realintrospection and thoughtful engagement by the artists.”

Freshman photography major SamDelaware’s piece Homeless, Clearlake, California,2016 placed first in the Documentary & Commercial Photography category.Delaware was hesitant at first to begin bringing his camera on a HomelessMinistries outing. After a couple consistent months of visiting he began takingphotos of a married couple. “I’ve taken a series of portraits before but Ithink this one best represents who they are,” he says. He then took the imagesfrom his mid-20^th century Hasselblad camera and developed, scannedto a digital file, and framed the images over the next few days.

The department of visual artsprovides students the opportunity to present their work to the campus andsurrounding community in several capacities. Next month, seniors will presenttheir thesis projects at the Rasmussen Art Gallery, while the Cameo Cinema inSt. Helena will host the film and television students film projects from thisyear. Delaware spoke about his appreciation for the department of visual arts,“When I visited PUC, the department was very well organized and the professors werevery knowledgeable about what they do. I was coming from a small high school,and PUC had that small-knit feeling as well, after that it kind of seemed likea no-brainer.”

The exhibition will remain opento the student body and the public through May 4.