Art students fundraising for senior sculpture showcase
This spring, sculpture majors are faced with a daunting decision: to host their senior showcase in one of the VCU Arts buildings or to outsource their production to one of the many galleries in the Richmond Art District.
Hunter Casten
Contributing Writer
This spring, sculpture majors are faced with a daunting decision: to host their senior showcase in one of the VCU Arts buildings or to outsource their production to one of the many galleries in the Richmond Art District.
Two years ago, the senior class had the idea to move the show off campus as a way to stand on their own. Sculpture major Nathaniel Cody decided to carry on the tradition this year using crowdfunded support.
“They were the pilgrims to this idea of the sculpture seniors (moving) out on their own and it seemed to continue after they left,” Cody said. “It has now turned into a lineage for the senior class to figure out how to have their show off campus.”
Cody and his fellow sculpture majors created a video to accompany a Kickstarter campaign, which is in the process of raising $3,000. Other arts departments have chosen to host showcases off campus as well, such as communications arts, photography, fashion and cinema. Cody said curating work is an important skill for those with a future in the arts, which is why the sculpture showcase is planned by the students themselves.
The event is important both as a social gathering and as an opportunity for seniors to showcase their sculpture work for public viewing, Cody said.
“This show is about making art for other artists, not for commodity or commercial purposes,” Cody said. “We all make exciting work that challenges the boundaries of contemporary art in different ways, ranging from object-making to performance.”
Cody said many aspects of the space in which the work will be showcased are important, from location to the purity of white paint on the walls. Benefactors will support the artists as they renovate their gallery space by repainting the walls, adding track lighting and creating supporting walls to hold their sculptures up.
“There will be installations, a room for screening videos and multiple event nights with performances,” Cody said. “For future professionals in the arts, this show is not only important as a gathering, but also as experience for us to work independently.”
The senior sculpture majors are $325 short of their Kickstarter goal; the campaign ends March 30. If the class meets its goal, the VCU Arts 2014 Senior Sculpture Showcase will open April 18 at 7 p.m. in the VCU Fine Arts Building at 1000 W. Broad St., and continue through May 5, at 207- 209 N. Foushee St.
The off-campus showcase will open alongside the Fine Arts Building Senior Showcase, which closes Sunday, April 20.
