The Lion's Roar/Kelli Meynard
Friends and family enjoy the opening of the Southeastern student art show at the
Hammond Regional Art Center on Friday, October 2. Students were required to
submit their work to a panel of judges, and then were chosen to be part of the gallery.
It will be displayed throughout October.
 

Student artwork can usually be found in the Contemporary Art Gallery on campus, but currently, students’ work can be found off campus.

On October 2 at 5:00 p.m., the Hammond Regional Arts Center hosted the opening of the first student show in nearly a decade.

“This is our first time in about ten years that the Visual Arts Society has been here,” said president of the Visual Arts Society Anna Fernandez. “The club as a whole has shown at the HRAC before, but we have been absent for the last decade and we’re really excited to be back here. This has been a great opportunity.”

Due to the long absence of a student art show at the HRAC, some were skeptical of how the event would end up for turn out.

“I’m really excited for this event,” said Fernandez. “I was initially a little afraid because it has been over a decade since we have been here. I was not informed of this event until the beginning of the semester, so it was a last minute rush for me and trying to get the students motivated to show up here [HRAC]. The pieces we got were creative and a good representation of all the art departments.”

HRAC Executive director Katherine Marquette bought two pieces of student art and thought the student show was a success.

“I actually purchased two pieces from the myself,” said Marquette. “That’s the wonderful thing about having shows with students in them. They are not at the height of their career just yet so you can usually get some really great, quality artwork at a really great price. It was a huge success. The turn out tonight was wonderful and we’re really pleased to see that and see everyone support these students.”

Junior visual art and animation major Austin Cradic was unsure of initially being accepted to the HRAC but ended up having two pieces that made it in the show, helping further his future goals.

“I was really nervous about getting stuff in and not knowing, even when I submitted it being like, ‘Yeah, I’m just going to submit it, it’s not going to get in,’” said Cradic. “I got in. It’s pretty awesome. It’s the first show that I’ve actually gotten stuff into. It’s nice because students can put it on their résumé that they were able to get into a show that wasn’t just with the school, it’s an actual art gallery.”

For more information about the Visual Arts Society, email [email protected] or to learn more about the HRAC, visit the website hammondarts.org.