2003 student art exhibit shows range of expression at Fairfield University's Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery | Press Releases

Painting, sculpture, even charcoal crushed by salsa dancing take center stage at the 2003 Student Art Exhibit running Wednesday, April 2, through Sunday, May 4, at Fairfield University's Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery. The juried show begins with a wine and cheese reception from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery, located in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

The eclectic exhibit includes 32 pieces chosen from 106 student works. Some were encouraged to enter their work by professors and some took it upon themselves to try their luck in the biennial student show, the seventh since 1991.

The pieces were judged on a variety of standards from size and craftsmanship to originality and exploration of an idea, said Jo Katherine Yarrington, professor, Visual and Performing Arts.

"There's a broad range of media, both two- and three-dimensional. And there's a nice balance of color and black and white," Yarrington said of the tightly judged show. "We were trying to keep the numbers down to not overwhelm the gallery and to give each piece plenty of space."

The show, which includes both individual and group projects, also highlights a number of installations, larger works assembled on site, said Diana Mille, Ph.D., director of the Walsh Art Gallery.

"We're seeing a lot more creativity with installations, and that expands on the tradition of site-based work," she said. "I like the variety we have this year. In the past we've had more painting and there's a wider range of things here."

Two of the more than 30 participating students have two pieces in the exhibit. Joanne Hus, a graphic artist who has returned to college through Fairfield University's University College, will show "Women's Work," a large installation made of paper, beeswax, fabric and stainless steel. Her smaller, intricate etching "Silent Chaos" hangs on another wall.

Rebecca Young, an English major with a minor in Studio Art, offers an untitled collage that explores the mechanical and the organic. A field hockey accident inspired her to create her second untitled piece, which uses photos of her face under broken glass representing the process of injury and healing.

Junior Raymond Johnson created "Kumba (Salsa)" as a project on rituals in a drawing class. While living in Colombia, he often went out dancing and he used the ritual - literally - to create the framed piece, which is made of crushed charcoal on paper.

"I used to go dancing in the clubs, so I put this on the floor and danced on it every Thursday for three weeks in a row and made a ritual out of it," said the marketing major from Pinebrook, New Jersey.

Admission to the exhibit is free. Gallery hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call (203) 254-4000, ext. 2969.