Montgomery College’s Annual Student Art Exhibit was held from May 16 to Sept. 13 at the Cafritz Foundation Arts Center on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus.
Two of the three art galleries housed the exhibit: King Street and Open Gallery, which presented visual art pieces juried by a team of Visual and Performing Arts Department faculty members. The show culminated students’ artwork created during the 2023-24 Fall and Spring semesters.
“I am always impressed by the work of our students,” Norberto Gomez, department chair of the Visual and Performing Arts, said. “This recent show contained some of the strongest work I have seen, particularly, the new animation and video works in the show.”
Faculty encouraged students to submit their best work for review by April 26, and then they juried students’ pieces from April 29 to May 3. The show’s installation was from May 8-15.
Show entries included 315 creative expressions fashioned by 155 students, and mediums used in students’ fine art pieces included ceramics, digital art, fabric-textiles, and mixed media.
The Department’s Instructional Lab Coordinator, Michael Anthony, shared that extensive behind-the-scenes support is required for the exhibit’s installation.
“When planning a new exhibit, not only are the placement of visual objects and lighting considered, pieces must be installed,” Anthony said. “Titles and numbers are assigned to the visual works, and a new gallery list and vinyl signage are made for the next show.”
The exhibit stayed up for nine weeks, including the first two weeks of the Fall semester. Nine full-time staff and more part-time staff taught art classes on the TP/SS campus.
One photography student, James Loll, had six entries accepted for the show, according to Mieke Gentis, a photography professor. She considered him as one of her many talented students in the Digital Photography for the Fine Arts class.
Gentis said, “he took the assignments and explored them to his fullest potential.”
To learn about the elements and principles of art, visit this document.
