College's art expo runs until Nov. 25
BRANCHBURG – Paintings and drawings adorn the walls of the Art Gallery at Raritan Valley Community College. Pedestals are evenly spaced throughout the room that hold up ceramics and artful book covers.
One piece that sticks out is a series of three photographs. Each depicts a simple object seen through a lens obstructed by rain drops. Next to these photographs is a little sign that reads "BEST IN SHOW OVERALL."
These pieces are just examples of the various art selections currently on display at the college's 11th Annual Art Students Juried Exhibition. Hosted by the college's Visual and Performing Arts Department, the show runs through Nov. 25 at the local campus.
The show features artwork completed by students at the college's Visual and Performing Arts Department since the Fall 2013 semester.
The exhibition is coordinated by RVCC faculty member and Art Gallery Coordinator Darren McManus.
An opening reception and awards ceremony was held on Nov. 7 to commemorate the exhibit's opening.
All selections for the annual juried show were made by one individual, the guest juror. This year's juror was Ned Drew, graphic design coordinator at Rutgers University-Newark, where he teaches various design and design history courses.
This particular exhibit is the one art show the college holds that is organized by somebody outside the school.
Students were allowed to submit up to three art pieces to be considered for the exhibit.
This way of selection is one of the reasons this show is different from other student art exhibits.
In the spring, RVCC hosts another student art exhibit, one that is divided into two parts. For that exhibit, art is selected by individual instructors in the art department.
In addition, the juried exhibition provides first-hand what life is like for an artist once they leave the academic world.
"In the springtime," McManus said, "faculty will choose the work from the students, bring it down to the gallery and install it. The students just have to provide the work. This show is the opposite. The students are responsible for filling out the submission forms, actually physically bringing their work to the gallery and, in a strange way, curating their own work because they can only submit three pieces."
The whole process can be beneficial to students who plan to take their skills further. By limiting the number of allowable submissions down to three, and by requiring those three to have been created within the previous academic year, students learn what is necessary in the life of an artist.
"It's a good process," McManus said. "It also establishes really quickly that not everyone is going to like your work. A lot of kids get work rejected by this. Some take it with a grain of salt. Others get bent out of shape. It's part of being an artist. Not everybody is going to like your work. I think the acceptance and rejection process is built into it as well as a learning tool."
The number of selections ultimately depends on the size of each piece. Part of Drew's job is to see how much work will look good in the given space. A balance is then found between too much or too little. In the end, usually around 100 pieces are selected.
Eight awards were given out for the show. When Diane Resende received the news that her three pieces, entitled "The Screw Head," "The Tomato" and "The Acorn," won Best in Show Overall, she was more than excited.
"I was shocked and elated," she said, "Any one of the other art pieces there could have won. So for me to win this award, among such talent, is an achievement that words just can't describe."
Seven individual awards were then given to the best overall pieces in their respective disciplines.
The following seven students who won Best in Show are: Steven Sitrin, ceramics; Fiona McCormack, painting; Joanne Stoy, photography; Jeffrey Kolvites, drawing; Casey Landers, foundations; Rais Ahmed, graphic design; and Jessica Innamorato, sculpture.
Joanne Stoy also spoke of her accomplishment, a photo entitled "Lots of Luck."
"This is the first time I have submitted a photograph for any juried show," she said. "I know the photography students at Raritan Valley Community College are very good and are tough competition. I am very excited and honored to have won Best in Show for Photography."
Casey Landers also gave some words of gratitude for the Foundations piece "Contrast of Hue."
"It was more or less a pleasant surprise that the work I submitted qualified and won," Landers said. "I am humbled and this whole experience has been refreshing in that it gave me some validation in the current direction I seem to be headed in with art. I have a great amount of respect for everyone involved in making the show possible."
Awards included a gift card to an art supply vendor and a certificate.
Aside from the real-world experience and potential awards, students who submit their work can gain a confidence boost upon acceptance. The opportunity to bring their friends and family to the exhibit, to see their work on display, can be just what they need.
McManus explained that attending the exhibit can benefit students who are not art majors, as well as the general public.
"It's important," he said. "You might see work that strikes a chord in you."
He also mentioned that the exhibit is a great way for those out of college who want to become a part of the art community. The gallery provides a great resource for culture. This is evident, given the growing list of visitors each year.
"We have people that just wander in," he said. "A lot of people don't know that the work is from students."
Gallery hours are 3 to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursdays and 1 to 4 p.m. on Fridays.
For further information, contact the Visual and Performing Arts Department at 908-218-8876, or visit the department's new online student gallery and blog at www.rvccstudentgallery.weebly.com.
Editorial Intern Ryan Diminick: 908-243-6602; RDiminick@MyCentralJersey.com.