Pacific Index

The Pacific University Senior art showcase prepares its reception 

   It’s an exciting time of year. The days are longer, classes are coming to a head and it’s finally warm enough to safely wear short sleeve shirts. But for the current graduating class, April is a reminder of senior projects day. For months, maybe even years in some cases, seniors have been imbuing their research, projects, and presentations with enthusiasm and effort, but now it’s time to showcase all of that hard work. For the current five art seniors, their final projects consist of putting the final touches on their pieces and working on their presentations, which offer insights and overview of their artistic creations. On senior projects day, the Cawein Art Gallery will be transformed into an exhibit of pieces, curated by Pacific’s graduating class.

   Every project must have a start and with the guidance of professors, the seniors found direction. Art professor Tyler Brumfield shared that, “When we meet early on, it’s more like, what are your ideas? Like, who are you referencing? What are we bringing in from a larger art historical perspective and who might it benefit you to look at?” All of these questions create space for students to begin work. Most of what he helps the students with comes down to, “I meet weekly with four of them. For things like progress checks, writers talk about logistical things that come up.” Though Brumfield notes that the process is fairly hands-off.

While there are five different students displaying their works in one space, all of which have ranging art styles, they still managed to create a somewhat cohesive exhibition titled, “Don’t Walk Past.” Brumfield noted he often offered students questions such as, “What are you thinking about showing? Is it something new that you’re going to spend this year building or is it a collection that you’ve been working on this whole time?” as a form of guidance through the process.

   One of the seniors, Hannah Reddick, explains that, “all of our projects kind of tie into something to do with the past or memories or childhood.” While it wasn’t a deliberately intentional theme, over time it appeared. “We all worked on our projects independently and we got together and they were like, what do we have in common and what can we use from that to kind of unite our projects together under a single gallery show?” she expressed.

   For this year’s senior art showcase there are a total of five students exhibiting their pieces. From Hiro Kato-Teale’s temporary rooms, which have to be installed in the gallery itself, to Kiyanah Cooper’s mixed media incorporating lots of beadwork, there will not be a medium unexpressed. One of Dan Payne’s projects is a crouched figural sculpture, which will face away from the door as visitors enter the space. For the final artist, Hana Wachsmuth, her exhibit consists of works that she did for student teaching, as she is training to become a teacher.

   “It’s fun because you get that sort of frenetic energy to it and it’s like the excitement, the energy building towards the end and it’s great,” Brumfield enthuses. While it’s exciting for seniors to see the fruits of their labor, it can be bittersweet. For Reddick that comes in the form of saying goodbye to the birds she has been painting. “I feel like I’ve almost bonded with the creatures that I’m working on in a way. And I want to show people the experience of that bond.”

The senior art showcase will be available for viewing in the Cawein Gallery until May 11.