The Art Department recently opened its 2024 Foundation Year exhibition in the Kresge Gallery located in the Insalaco Center for Studio Arts. The exhibition shows the works of freshmen from the 2023-2024 school year, in part of the NASAD (National Association of Schools of Art and Design) accreditations.
“We have established certain milestones for our students, and the first milestone that is set up is called Foundation Year,” said Sue Jenkins, Associate Professor of Art, Foundation Year Coordinator and Photography Area Coordinator.
“Over the course of the year, they will all be challenged to make certain works of art,” said Jenkins.
These include various projects such as painting, drawings, digital design and photography.
Students learn about drawing with pencil, charcoal, painting with oils and color theory. They also work with various materials such as 3-D materials, wood, cardboard, plastic, wire, glass and clay.
“Throughout the year, the students are making all of their works, and then in April, we have something called ‘‘Foundation Year Portfolio Review,’ so we gather all the freshmen, and we ask them to bring their very best work from every foundation year art class, and then we review it,” said Jenkins.
According to Jenkins, faculty select the best works presented to them and at the beginning of the fall semester they vote on the pieces to be shown in the exhibition.
Emily James, a sophomore art therapy major, reflected on her portfolio review.
“This was my first time being in an exhibition at Marywood. I was really nervous going into portfolio review, but I feel like it shows that this is just the beginning of our careers, and that there will be more to come,” said James.
Two main reasons for including last year’s freshmen pieces in the exhibition, according to Jenkins, is to celebrate the work, and to get the incoming freshmen excited about what is to come by seeing the artwork from their peers.
“It’s a way to show our first year at Marywood, and it’s a good way to look back on all the work that we did because there was all these different works we had to do,” says Sephora Charlot, a sophomore illustration and studio arts major, minoring in animation and graphic design.
“At the end of the day, anybody can be an artist; you don’t have to have formal training, you just have to want to express yourself using some form of materials that’s not words,” said Jenkins.
More exhibitions are to take place throughout the school year, including the Hexagon Project and Posters for Peace in October, 3-D Sculptures Exhibition in November, Senior Exhibitions in December and April and the Anne Marie Magagna exhibition in March.
The Foundation Year Exhibition is open to the public every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Sept. 27.
For further information regarding the exhibition, contact [email protected].
Contact the writer: [email protected]
