Senior art and design majors shared their final big projects at this year’s Art and Design Show.
The show was held in the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery on campus on Friday, April 19. Students with graphic design majors had tables to showcase their design portfolios, as well as any physical designs they had made, such as stickers, animations or product boxes. Other art exhibitions were set up across the Thorne gallery, many of which were composed of multiple different art pieces, either separate or combining into one larger showcase.
Randall Hoyt, professor of graphic design, discussed the process of creating the design portfolios.
“We work intensely for the whole semester,” said Hoyt. “[The students] create a visual identity with a resume, business card, website … and so they create a comprehensive package to prepare them to enter the world and look for work.”
Hoyt said the graphic design students pick pieces from other graphic design classes for their portfolio, as well as creating original content.
Some artists shared their inspiration behind their work and what it means to be in the Art and Design Show.
“I have a two-part project of two sculptures that I’ve pretty much been putting everything into,” said senior Grace Dania. “A lot of my art is mental health-based and inspired. My piece is two forms, one that’s a lot healthier and happier and one that is clearly suffering, just to show the duality of mental health.”
“I decided to make a lot of commentary about the fragile state of the world that we’re currently in and there’s a lot of conflict … and trying to find that peace within yourself is very much a challenge,” said senior Mars Rivera. “I like to describe myself as a bit of a trash artist, I like to collect items and fidget with things to figure out what looks good where. I don’t so much focus on the medium, I focus on what the medium is trying to tell me.”
Some dual major students had both an art exhibition and a graphic design portfolio.
“In one word, [it was] busy, for sure,” said senior Nico Belval. “I’ve been having to very carefully plan my time … just constantly bouncing between the Redfern and the [Media Arts Center] … but very rewarding.”
Belval continued about his pieces, adding, “A lot of my art is very creature-based … I especially love cryptids and the line [between] real and imagined creatures. I use a lot of that in my stickers, my paintings”
Many involved said it was very rewarding to finally have their art and designs finished and on display.
“It’s surreal, this is something that looms over your head for over a year and … then you enter a fugue state of work and then you blink and then you’re suddenly here,” said Belval. “It’s so cool to see what everyone’s done, I’m so proud of us.”
“It’s immensely rewarding to see these students … I’ve had them since they were freshmen,” said Hoyt. “You look around and you realize that these students have come out of their shell, they’ve grown their skills, they’ve blossomed into wonderful creative beings.”
Orion Corbin can be contacted at
