On Monday afternoon, the third floor of Barnard Hall was transformed into a haven for art appreciation as the Class of 2009 visual arts majors displayed their senior thesis projects. Artists and their friends, parents, and professors wandered around the room-turned-gallery, sipping wine and munching on brie and crackers.
The walls were lined with all types of art, some jumping off the walls and into the room in the form of three-dimensional or multimedia displays. It was clear that there was no theme to this show except the individual whims of the 17 Barnard seniors whose art was on display.
The photos, films, paintings, and drawings included an intricate and impressive beaded recreation of Obama’s Rolling Stone cover, as well as a captivating and explorative series of photos depicting a laughing child in front of a rainbow background.
“It’s a good step out of the absent audience of art,” said Dalton LaBarge, CC ’12. “There are a lot of interactive pieces, which I wasn’t expecting.” LaBarge pointed out one piece for which viewers were expected to contribute their own pencil sketches: “It brings the audience into the art in a way that watching a movie or looking at a photo doesn’t necessarily do,” he said.
Jessica Cohen, BC ’09, an artist whose work was featured, said she hoped her collection of larger-than-life multicolored portraits would also overcome the artist-audience barrier. Her blurb in the program read, “She hopes that these works will confront the viewer with their steady and eerie stares.” She explained that the gazes in portraits come from a very personal place, as she only paints people she knows well. “I paint people that are close to me and as I do it I become attached to the paintings as well,” she said.
Another artist, Abigail Cohen, BC ’09, also said she paints from a very personal place. Her multimedia pieces illustrated her fascination with the green movement and what she refers to as “environmental consideration.” “I always felt like painting wasn’t enough,” she said, going on to describe her use of unexpected materials.
Many artists remarked that they did not see the show as the end of their visual art career. “It’s hard to pursue art professionally without a day job,” Abigail said, “but I’d love to try and see what happens.”
Optimistically, Jessica stated, “No matter what happens, art won’t not be a part of my life.”
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