Visual and media arts exhibitions to spotlight student talent

Two exhibitions opening on the Allendale Campus in February will provide students in the Visual and Media Arts Department with opportunities to curate their own showcases while highlighting their artistic expertise.

Beyond the Frame

"Beyond the Frame" will spotlight work by students in Grand Valley's film and video production, and photography programs. The exhibition will be on display through February 16 in the Stuart B. and Barbara H. Padnos Student Art and Design Gallery, located in Calder Art Center. A reception will be held on February 8, from 5-7 p.m.

The exhibit is curated by photography students Dan Schrager and Rachel Britton, and will feature works from Liam O'Connor, Kayla Hardy, Kirie Ritchie, Lucas Nielsen, Jenna Pewarchie, Kelly Arrand, Sara Carte, Jordan Clark, Madison Cruz, Zac Kuchar, Brittany Weaver, Olivia Karwoski, Olivia Thibeault, Blaine Brown, Chad Hilliard, Olivia Mock and Taylor Welton.

Schrager, a senior majoring in photography, is making his first attempt at curating and said he has a newfound appreciation for the behind-the-scenes process of an exhibit.

"As someone who likes to enter into shows, it's always difficult to receive a rejection or just not hear anything at all," said Schrager, from Arlington Heights, Illinois. "After curating this exhibition, I now know that it is not an easy task to pick through entries and find pieces that reflect what the exhibition is about."

For Britton, "Beyond the Frame" is not only about showcasing student talent, but also spotlighting the film and video, and photography programs that have helped students refine their crafts.

Mixtape.jpg

"Mixtape.jpg" will showcase a blend of art and music when the exhibit is on display February 19-March 2 in the Padnos Gallery, with a reception on February 22, from 5-7 p.m.

Curated by members of the SIGIL Illustration Club, the exhibit will display cover art designed to accompany individual playlists on Spotify comprised of eight-to-10 songs chosen by the student artists. Displayed alongside the cover art will be QR codes that guests can scan with their mobile devices to be taken directly to the playlists.

All Grand Valley students can submit a Spotify playlist and supporting cover art to the SIGIL Illustration Club. The submission deadline is February 12. For more information about entries, contact Van Overen at [email protected] or visit the group's Facebook page.

"All of us are very inspired by music and it influences a lot of our work as artists, so we wanted to make that influence visible and allow people a platform to share the kind of music they enjoy," said Kayleigh Van Overen, a senior illustration major who is serving as a co-curator for this exhibit alongside Corey Sorg. "There's bound to be a lot of interesting and unique art since the prompt is so open and everyone has such different taste in music."

For more information about these two exhibits, contact the Visual and Media Arts Department at (616) 331-3486 or [email protected].