Friday, April 17, 2009

Student Art Show opens at Creative Spirit gallery

Featuring everything from oil paintings to Sharpie drawings and three-dimensional works, the greatly varied Student Art Show (StASh) opened at Creative Spirit Art Gallery on Friday, April 10. People came together to enjoy live music, delicious snacks and each other's company while admiring student creations.

Students, faculty, friends and family gathered at the inviting Creative Spirit space to see the works of their peers. The mood of the event was extremely upbeat. Music provided by Some Elan Vital, which means "all good things," drifted through various spaces of the gallery. The pleasant soundtrack of flute and balafon (a type of West African wooden xylophone) and other percussion provided a perfect background for the constant din of friendly conversation.

The difference between attending an opening and visiting the gallery on a normal day is the interaction with the artists themselves. From a distance, one could see several artists interacting with the attendees, explaining the meaning of their works. This guided viewing made the works instantly accessible to the viewer.

The most attention-getting piece in the gallery, entitled Turn Me On by Sarah Haze, was a mixed-media work of suggestive light boxes. Shy onlookers stood back while the more daring stepped forward and toggled the light switches. Sharpie-inked works by Chase Winkler garnered attention for their simultaneous complexity and simplicity. The animal-themed paintings of Krystal Stowe inspired speculation and conversation.

Unfortunately, there was little publicity for the event. Luckily, word of mouth spread quickly. Perhaps with flyers around campus, even more people would have come out to the gallery opening.

2 comments:

Judy said...

I had the pleasure of stumbling upon the Student Art Show near the end of its run at Creative Spirit. Very fine indeed.

Tonight is the opening of a new juried show there, in which I am privileged to have three pieces, and yes, an opening is a great time for viewers to get "the inside scoop" on artists' work.

Nice to stumble on a blog published by "a clarinet/music education major at a fairly well-renowned music school in northern New York." You write well. Best wishes in your studies and your future work!

Unknown said...

I just created a website and was googling my name to see what came up. Thanks for including me in the write up on StASh (I know it was a while ago now, but I still appreciate finding it). If you're interested in what I am up to now you can visit www.SarahHaze.com