Review of the December senior art shows

Senior art shows opened to thrilling reviews, Dec. 4 in Harder Hall.

“This year’s Senior show set a new precedent,” Robin Howard, assistant dean of the School of Art and Design, mentioned with gusto.

The show transformed the foundations area of Harder Hall into a gallery, whereas traditionally senior shows have taken place in a cubicle art fair context. Artists showing in December in years past often showed in spaces scattered throughout Harder Hall, making them difficult to find and less unified. This year the showing seniors collaborated with the School of Art and Design's maintenance department to create an engaging and open space to show work in which existed in one room. In comparison with past mid-year senior shows, the 2010 senior art shows were very well attended thanks to this organization, advertising, and community support.

Showing seniors included George Vidas, Stephen Denman, Vreni Gust, Stephanie Schiller, Caitlin Vitalo and Rachel Ellsworth. The work spanned from installation, to glass, to painting and everything in between. Highlights from the show included Denman's interactive "Museum of Inherent Stories" (an installation piece including a website with profiles of objects with sentimental value or interesting stories) and Vitalo's photographs and glass pieces that dealt with ideas of verbal and physical communication. Schiller's paintings dealt with color and line through both abstraction and deconstructed representations of flowers.

Another painter, George Vidas, showed abstract paintings with subtle references to landscape. Vreni Gust's works dealt with the weaving together of images and maps, which dealt with the theme of memory. Rachel Ellsworth's ceramic tile work consisted of primary colors and simple geometric shapes hung to create an environment for the viewer.

Overall the 2010 December senior art shows were a great success. The work was well displayed and the shows were very professionally done.