Seniors showcase variety of art at River Campus

On Nov. 14, seniors graduating within the Department of Art will showcase their works of art in the Fall Bachelor of Fine Arts Graduating Seniors Exhibition at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus Art Gallery. Four groups of students will rotate their art in and out of the gallery weekly until Dec. 16.

Justin Miller, associate professor of art and exhibitions coordinator, said almost all genres of art will be represented at the exhibit, including painting, ceramics and graphic design.

"What I like about a lot about the BFA shows is they're more than what you'd think of normally in a traditional art show," Miller said. "It's not that we don't have paintings on the wall and sculptures on the floor, but there are also non-traditional approaches. It's interesting to see how students take a simple space and transform it into unique environments."

Most art exhibits have a designated juror, who judges the art based on creativity, structure or design. In the student exhibit, however, students will have committees analyzing their work, with one faculty member who specializes in the same genre and two other faculty members of the student's choice.

Miller said having multiple perspectives can be refreshing for students to have when completing their projects.

"Maybe they choose some professors they've had a class with, or those they haven't had class with for an outside opinion," Miller said. "They meet regularly with the committee to flush out ideas to talk about what's working and what's not. Sometimes it's nice to get outside opinions even for me to hear, maybe there's things I didn't think about."

Bridget Bingham, a senior graduating in graphic design, will be presenting her work, an alien aquarium on Europa, a moon of Jupiter, from Nov. 14 through 18. She said she incorporated "a high level of detail" for her show, from the fish she created herself to the visitor's map for her museum.

Bingham, a Chicago native and a member of Shedd Aquarium, said the inspiration for her exhibit originated from her desire to design for an aquarium once she graduates.

"I've always loved museums and I've always loved aquariums," Bingham said. "I always wanted to find a way to marry art and science and knew right away when I got [to Southeast] that it was what I wanted to do with my life. I've been building my career here around wanting to do this show."

According to Miller, the exhibit presents other opportunities for growth students wouldn't typically learn in the classroom. Students learn how to install and remove art and can possibly sell their work.

"It's supposed to be a culmination of their work and segue into the real world," Miller said. "It's a good opportunity to learn about pricing of work and how to make sales. Currently our gallery doesn't take commission, so it's 100 percent their take-home if they make a sale. It's an important extra thing that they aren't necessarily experiencing in their classes."

Bingham said she'll move home to Chicago following graduation, where she'll be utilizing her portfolio and seeking a job from Shedd Aquarium.

"I have a lifelong relationship with that particular institution," Bingham said. "When their design position opens up or if they're looking for an intern, I think I'll be set apart because of my specialized portfolio. Museum design is a niche career. That's why this project is so important; it's going to give me all of the projects my competition have and then this big project as the cherry on top."

For more information on the exhibit, contact Miller at (573) 651-5901.