BFA students highlight their artwork at senior showcase. PHOTO CREDIT: Kelly Mackay | Contributing Reporter
University of Rhode Island fourth-years in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program are displaying their work at Hera Gallery in South Kingstown until May 6.
The exhibition is titled “Moving On /// Moving Out,” and 10 artists are currently displaying the work they have been doing all semester in their senior seminar class. Fourth-year students Rylie Bessette, Thomas Bowater, Aqua Butler, Cynder Carroll-Coates, Grace Horner, Michael Imbruglia, Olivia Lafazia, David Luong, Kayla Radolph and Elizabeth Witkun are the featured artists in this exhibition.
Annu Palakunnathu Matthew is the coordinator of the exhibition, and has been a professor of photography at URI for over 20 years. She currently teaches the senior seminar for the Bachelor of Fine Arts students, and helped them to develop the work for the show.
“The work I saw in the beginning of the semester, and the way it’s grown has been so amazing,” Matthew said. “I’m just so proud to see all of their work out today.”
The gallery currently displays ten different artists, all with different media types, themes and sizes of artwork. Matthew spoke about how a gallery exhibition comes together and how the students were able to present their pieces.
“They have to figure out the work, but then it’s also about the presentation and then sequencing and how the work is going to talk to each other based on the placement in the space,” Matthew said. “They have to think about all those other different factors.”
According to Matthew, Hera Gallery in South Kingstown was chosen to hold the exhibit, because of its ties to URI. URI alum Chad Amos Self ‘12 is currently the president of Hera Gallery. Being in South Kingstown, it was also a prime location for students to have their work.
“We also had the opportunity to have it at the gallery in Providence, but the students felt that with their families and classmates and friends around in South County, this was a better place to bring in a larger audience,” Matthew said.
The opening of the gallery on April 8 did bring in a large audience, as friends, family and community members gathered in the gallery to see student work.
Luong is displaying his collection of ceramics.
“I’m primarily inspired by a lot of mythology and folklore, and mostly Japanese stories,” Luong said. “What we see here with this collection is from the iconic story known as the ‘Night Parade of 100 Demons.’ It’s been adapted over time, and I thought it was time for me to make my own adaptation for this.”
His collection of clay demons fills the entire back room of the gallery. Luong hopes to inspire others with his pieces.
“For me, it is to inspire others, and to create a magic spark for others,” Luong said.
Imbruglia is showcasing his digital art in the gallery as well. His art is inspired by psychedelic art, which Imbruglia says he has been interested in since 2017. His art depicts a journey through a waterfall.
“Originally it was based on a journey into this waterfall, and I find inner peace, and find conclusion in graduating,” Imbruglia said.
For the fourth-years in the fine arts program, being able to display their art to the public is an important part of their journey.
Bowater’s work in the gallery depicts the process of creating 2D animation. His section in the exhibition includes a set-up with a light table and all of his sketches and character designs. He talked about why sharing his art to the public is important to him.
“I think that entertainment is very important, because if you think about it, the people who are creating it may not be saving people from burning buildings or on ambulances, but they will be inspiring the next generation of people that do,” Bowater said. “I think it’s a very important job to preserve high quality entertainment for the next generation, and for the current generation to give people something to aspire to be and dreams to uphold.”
Lafazia also spoke about why she displays her art to the public.
“Personally for me, I constantly have all these ideas in my head. I think it’s important to put this stuff out there because it’s something that no one has seen yet,” said Lafazia.
Her charcoal drawings explore female berserker vikings, and her research about “berserker brides.” Lafazia is also the 2023 winner of the Excellence Award from the Department of Art History. Hera Gallery will be displaying the senior’s art until May 6. You can visit them Wednesday- Friday from 1-5, and Saturday from 10-4 at 10 High Street, South Kingstown, or visit their website www.heragallery.org for more information about the gallery.