LMU students and family gathered on April 18 at the Burns Fine Art Center for the 40th annual student exhibition to get a first look at the final art projects from this year’s soon-to-be grads.
From sculptures of animals and nature to intricate paintings, a total of fourteen students showcased their final projects in this year’s senior art exhibition.
Students chose different themes for their art which represented something meaningful to them. Psychology and studio arts major, Bella Renteria, explained her pieces are based on her spiritual journey.
“The three smaller ones are about the journey to becoming connected with source or your divine self again,” said Renteria. “The large one is about being fully connected and one with nature,” said Renteria.
Renteria, and her pieces “On Becoming and Being.” The small paintings are as follows from top to bottom, “Now I am a Field,” “Now I am the Moon,” and “Now I am a Lake,” and the large painting is called “Now I am.”
Some students used unique materials to craft their works of art. One student, studio arts major Samuel Tankano, exemplifies this in his piece “Intrument_1”, which featured beeswax, electric bass strings, guitar pickup, contact mic, wood, drywall, speakers, copper wire, and installation foam.
“I had four or five days to make everything. It’s a merging of what I find interesting which is sculpture and music and sound,” said Takano.
Takano and his art pieces “Instument_1.”
Tankanos’s exhibit statement which describes the artist’s work, explained more behind the piece expressing gratitude to his family and culture as a Japanese American, “Instrument_1 serves as a representation of all that I am able to do because of my family’s history,” he wrote.
Some students gained inspiration from their educational experiences.
“I actually had this idea to make a children’s book series when I was a freshman, and this was the first opportunity I had,” said Samantha Siegel, senior studio arts major.
Siegel drew inspiration for the subject of her pieces from her education in both her study abroad experience in Greece last summer and her minor in political science.
“The American education system has long been criticized for focusing mainly on U.S. history and failing to include an international perspective. I wanted to combine my interest in political science with my experience working in childhood education by using my passion for art to help broaden the mindsets of students,” Siegel wrote.
Siegel and her pieces “What Do You See?”
The art will be on display from April 18, to May 4 in the Thomas P. Kelly Jr. Student Art Gallery.
