麻豆影院

COVID-19 cancels in-person exhibition, but art and art history department strives to showcase student art听

As听global pandemics and public art exhibitions are听not terribly compatible,听last week, the Department of听Art听and听Art History Department听at the 麻豆影院听launched its annual听King Exhibition online听instead of in a gallery.听听

The听digital exhibit, which is the department鈥檚 yearly opportunity to celebrate student work,听features artwork made by听more than 60 undergraduate and graduate听students.听听

Curated by听art听and听art听history graduate students and juried by invited art professionals, scholarships are awarded听based on quality of work听to three undergraduate and three graduate students. The event is funded by CU听麻豆影院听alumni Kevin King and听Meridee听Moore.听

Jeanne Quinn,听professor of听ceramics听and chair听of the听department, said the听King听Exhibition is typically a听peak point of the year.听听听

鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance to celebrate all of the fantastic student work that is being done, and fill our building with great art in all media,鈥� Quinn said, adding that the department holds the event during the Conference on World Affairs听to encourage visitors on campus for the conference to take in art as well.听听听

The King听family听has听supported the event听and its scholarships听for almost听a decade.听

鈥淭hey are passionate about art and supporting young artists, and their energy and enthusiasm are contagious to us all,鈥� Quinn said, adding:听

We are all so disappointed not to be able to meet in person for this celebration, but our student curators and staff, primarily Kirsten Stoltz听(coordinator of the Visiting Artist听and听Scholar Program), worked incredibly hard to get all of the work online in a way that made it a pleasure to view.鈥澨�

Avery Glassman,听a听CU 麻豆影院 student pursuing both a master鈥檚 degree in art history and a听Master鈥檚 of听Business听Administration, is one of the student curators.听She said she is eager to provide artists with as many high-quality exhibition opportunities as before the COVID-19 outbreak.听

Glassman said there are听pros and cons听to an online exhibition:听鈥淣othing compares to exhibiting in a physical space where viewers can have their own experience with the work. At the same time, hosting the exhibition online means the audience is potentially much wider than it would be otherwise.鈥澨�

She noted that much of the work in this year's King Exhibition is intensely personal, whether exploring family separation and shared sentiment, the body's limitations or memories that听are hard to ignore.听听

鈥淲ith this in mind, perhaps viewing these works from our own intimate spaces is more appropriate than the public space of the gallery,鈥� Glassman said.听鈥淲hen we absorb the images from the couch, bed or kitchen table, the work's private world enters ours, underscoring the connective possibilities that exist even in isolation.鈥澨�

This year鈥檚 scholarship awards听were听announced last week, and the winners are听as follows: Alejandra Abad,听Laura Conway听and听Mikey Yates听won graduate scholarships, and听Grace Groves,听Sara St. Clair听and听Aidan听Welby听won undergraduate scholarships.听听

The 2020 King Exhibition听jurors included:听Michael Chavez,听public听art听program听manager,听City and County of Denver;听Gabrielle Schuller,听senior听architect,听City and County of Denver; and听John听Spiak,听director听or听chief听curator,听California State University Fullerton鈥檚 Grand Central Art Center.听听

The graduate-student exhibition听curators听included听Cali Banks,听Glassman,听Allison Lemon听and听Jerryan听Ramos Hernandez.听