If you are looking for something to do after class, take a walk down to the Reece Museum located by the library, and take a look at the exhibits made by the students who are aiming to get a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in art and design.
The exhibit is being put on by seniors in the BFA program and will be in the Reece Museum from March 20 to April 26.
“This is our senior exit show, so it is mandatory of anyone who is apart of the BFA Art Program,” said Alisa Johnson, a senior whose art is in the exhibition.
“My show in particular is about dreams versus reality,” Johnson said. “There are several other artists who delve into much more relatable topics such as body images. There are several other graphic designers in the show as well, who deal with product and marketing, so they make their own products, and it’s really, really cool.”
I was curious to why Johnson’s theme was dreams versus reality.
“I chose it because to me, it’s an important topic that very often isn’t spoken about,” Johnson said. “It’s relatable to people, not only in the creative field, but in the non-creative field as well. Daydreams are so important as a part of our creative process. Imagination or inspiration steam from daydreams themselves, so it can be argued without one you can’t have the other, and I just feel like not a lot of people stop to think how important this is. We should be promoting it more in the creative fields.”
Like many people who don’t participate in the visual arts, I wondered how long Johnson had been painting and what had been her inspiration to do so.
“Officially, my first art classes weren’t until high school, I’ve only had high school and college art training,” she said. “I was inspired to start painting because it was a new outlet for me. It was a colorful world I didn’t know I had access to. Art was calming, meditative, and therapeutic for me.”
Overall, Johnson seemed enthusiastic about the BFA art exhibit, and her work that would be displayed. “I love showing my work to people because I love seeing their reactions and I love hearing feedback from art students and non art students because you get very, very different opinions from what you as an artist see. It’s actually very entertaining. “
