VCUarts gallery showcases student talent in Communication Arts Show
Artwork lines the walls at the Anderson Gallery. Photo by Alessandro Latour
Mackenzie Meleski, Contributing Writer
Brightly colored paintings, animations dancing across television screens and vibrant storybooks ready to be read met guests walking into the Anderson Gallery for the VCUarts Communication Arts Show.
VCUarts opened the Communication Arts Show at the Anderson Gallery on Jan. 20, according to the VCUarts website.
Students’ creations range from digital creations to hand-drawn illustrations. The student curators for the exhibition sought to “reflect everything taught in communication arts,” according to the VCUarts website.
VCUarts students curated the exhibition, according to the show’s program. These students included Alex O’Connor, Mary-Elizabeth Durgavich, Maggie Grace FuHan Watring, Jay Rudd and Julia Nauroth, who worked together to curate the show.
Responsibilities of the curators included setting up the application process, reviewing and selecting the works in the show, collecting the works, putting them on display, advertising the show and hosting the reception, according to Nauroth.
“I have found a love for curation and being on a team of curators is an amazing opportunity to learn and experiment with all that I need,” Nauroth said.
Curators asked students via email to submit pieces they wanted to be displayed at the show. All grade levels were featured in the show, including art foundation students interested in pursuing communication arts in the future, according to Nauroth.
Senior communication arts student Margaret Akins was one of the many students featured in the show. Her work, “A Glimpse Into the Galactic Gathering,” is inspired by the galaxy, science fiction and the theme of the unknown. Akins uses mixed media such as micropens and paint to create her pieces.
Akins said she starts her creative process with a “stream of imagination.” While listening to her favorite artist, Enya, she starts with a concept and doodles anything that stems from it until the page is full.
“I enjoy treating my art like a diary, a space where you can let go of everything that’s on your mind,” Akins said.
Students throughout the art program attended the opening to show support for their peers and feel inspiration. The artists whose work was on display stood by their art to explain their pieces. Alissa Schneider, a senior communication arts student, attended the opening to show support for her peers.
“I love seeing how diverse and different everyone’s pieces are,” Schneider said. “As a comm arts major, I think my favorite thing is that we have so many opportunities to try new things and be creative.”
The Communication Arts Show will be on display at the Anderson Gallery until Feb. 4.
