From February 24 to March 13, studio art majors are hosting their new exhibition in the Link Gallery. The space is just between the Krannert Art Museum and the Art and Design building at 408 E. Peabody Dr. in Champaign. Studio art consists of painting, new media and printmaking. Within these disciplines, there’s a range of work hung on the walls, on the ground and projected on the walls. These pieces were brought together under the title of the exhibition called “An Epic for Our Times.” Although that’s a pretty lofty title, it’s fitting for most of the people in the show. Most of the artists are either juniors or seniors (I being one of them). The grandiose title accredits the work we’ve put into our pieces over the last few years and the aspirations we’ve instilled in them all. It’s an exciting time to be an upperclassman in studio art!
To celebrate this three week exhibition, a reception was held from 5-7 p.m. in the Link Gallery on Wednesday, February 26. The event was shared on social media, emails were sent and artists were in attendance! Food was prepared for snacking and the track lights were set at the best angles for well lit shots. People were buzzing around, artists explaining their pieces and faculty and staff were chatting. What made it even more special was having friends and family visit to see our artwork in an exhibition setting. It’s one thing to see someone’s painting in their studio, but seeing it hung up in the natural light of a gallery is just so special. There’s a sense of accomplishment and more people will be able to view it and critique it! Mind you, during the daytime light shines in from the floor to ceiling windows that face the north and south. If we’re lucky and it’s sunny out, the light invites viewers to pass through the perpendicularly placed walls, peering around corners to view different pieces. During the nighttime, the track lights and video pieces that also play during the daytime are more evident and intriguing. Since there’s such a diverse collection, whether it’s context or material, I feel like there’s something there for everyone to connect to. For example, I have two projects in this exhibition. I have artwork hung up from a printmaking class and a watercolor series I just completed from my painting class. There are classmates with sculpture pieces on the floor, paintings of all sizes and embroidered pillows you wouldn’t recognize are actually part of the exhibition when you’re leaning on them! New media majors projected their pieces on walls or had fun interactive pieces. Printmaking had a breadth of colorful work that showed their technical skills.
