Lily Bohlke, Copy Editor
bohlkeli@grinnell.edu
This afternoon, Faulconer Gallery’s annual out-of-the-ordinary collection will open to the public. The Bachelor of Arts Exhibition (BAX) features the work of third- and fourth-year students instead of curator-selected outside work, while the Studio Faculty Exhibition will simultaneously feature faculty art.
“[Faulconer curators] make the space open to a direct voice of student work and a direct voice of faculty work,” said Professor Jeremy Chen, Studio Art, of the new exhibit.
BAX includes art from 22 different students this year. Studio Art SEPC members and BAX student organizers Hannah Kelley, Hannah Condon and Lauren Roush, all ’16, accommodated as many student artists’ submissions as they could.
The mediums to be featured include paintings, drawings, photos, prints, sculptures, textiles, interactive pieces, installations and even performance art.
“It’s wonderful to see student work in such a professional setting and for them to elevate their presentation of it,” Chen said. “There are so many mediums represented.”
Not only are the works to be viewed and admired, but BAX will also bring a juror to campus to award recognition to various student artists. There is an award for photography and one for sculpture, as well as a few for the juror’s discretion.
This year, Jane Gilmor, Professor Emerita of Art at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, will serve as BAX’s juror. Kelley, Condon and Roush selected her after a recommendation from another student. Gilmor’s work has been exhibited at Faulconer before; her project “(Un)Seen Work” was featured in Faulconer’s “Culturing Community” exhibition in 2010.
“It was nice to be on the side of curating [the exhibit] rather than on the side of just applying because you do realize how clear submissions need to be for others,” Roush said about organizing BAX.
This year, the Studio Faculty Exhibition is side-by-side with BAX. Professors in the Studio Art Department will showcase their work, as well as give six 20 Minutes@11 talks in Faulconer beginning on Tuesday, April 29. Chen is presenting two pieces called “Supplies for Viable Living” and “Derelict,” as well as giving a talk with Professor Hai-Dang Phan, English, called “Death and Drifting: Conversations Between a Poet and an Artist.”
“I’m very excited to look at things in relationship to each other, to see what kinds of things might we be thinking about similarly or differently,” Chen said. “We don’t often get a chance to share each other’s work. Not enough time for that.”
For both student work and faculty work, Chen feels these types of exhibitions are an opportunity for the community to see what is going on in the Studio Art Department.
“It encourages anybody who’s showing in [Faulconer] to make sure their best work is there,” he said. “It encourages editing and thinking about presentational strategies.”
All three organizers have artwork being shown in BAX. Kelley remarked that her favorite part about BAX is the opening reception when people finally get to see the tremendous effort that students have put into their projects.
The awards are an added piece of excitement for BAX artists.
“We each have work in the show so I’m sure we’re all excited to see if we win any prizes. But we’re going to meet Jane at the show and then leave, so we won’t influence her decisions at all,” Condon said. “I’m just excited to have a community event. Art openings are always really fun because we’re all there.”
The opening reception of BAX and the Studio Faculty Exhibition will begin today, Friday, April 8 at 4 p.m. in Faulconer Gallery and awards for BAX will be presented at 4:15 p.m.
