Sweet, sweet student art

University of Pittsburgh Studio Arts Department Annual Student Exhibition

Frick Fine Arts… University of Pittsburgh Studio Arts Department Annual Student Exhibition

Frick Fine Arts Building

Through April 27

(412) 648-2423

Once a year, Pitt’s studio arts department holds a student art exhibition, highlighting the work of many of the university’s most promising young artists.

Held at the University Art gallery in the Frick Fine Arts building, the show is open now and runs through April 27.

The show features the work of many of Pitt’s senior art students as well as select underclassmen pieces, all chosen for inclusion by members of the studio arts department faculty. I must admit that my initial expectations for this show were low, considering that much of the work submitted and selected was done for one class or another. Before taking a tour of this exhibit, I would have told you that great personal expression, be it a surrealist portrait or a kick-butt research paper, could not be realized in a deadline based classroom setting; that the full realization of a person’s creative potential cannot be forced and graded. That was before checking out this showcase.

I was completely blown away by the level of accomplishment and maturity demonstrated in the pieces on display throughout the gallery. These are works by a group of artists, who despite still being students, have begun to forge their own artistic niche, their own distinct artistic identities. These artists are the people who will, in the near future, be representing Pitt in the art world. All members of the University community should go and spend a few minutes reveling in the achievement of these students.

Along with being a presentation of fine art, the student exhibition is also a competition. More than 20 awards were given out, with prize money ranging from $1 to $5,000. A list of the winners is on display at the front of the gallery, and the winning pieces can be distinguished by the red stickers attached to their titles. A particularly impressive award winner was Alicia Faust’s “Edge of Change,” an abstract oils on canvas painting of what can only be described as a wild mess of color fronted by a leafless alien tree done in black and white. The contrast is striking.

Anna Divinsky won multiple awards. Divinsky won awards for her pieces “Collar of Vegetation” and “Wedding Gown.” Divinsky’s work is most notable for her innovative choice of medium: Most of her pieces are done on large silk canvases, colored with a variety of fabric dyes. The end result is an explosion of vibrant colors and shapes that draws in viewers. Ian Whetstone won an award for his piece “Pick Me Up and Carry Me Out,” a watercolor portrait of a fellow student. What makes this portrait special is that it is broken into three separate paintings; each framed individually, and hung one above the other.

Much of the work in the show is of the less traditional variety. One of these unconventional, but engaging and entertaining pieces is Scott D. Johnson’s “You Shouldn’t Judge A Book By Its Cover Or In This Case A Tree By Its Bark,” a seemingly normal tree trunk that is anything but. While not an award winner, I couldn’t help but laugh at this ingenious composition. Rachel Piplica sewed together a pair of dresses that hang in the first room of the exhibit. Titled “The Cost of Freedom,” one of these two prom dress look-alikes has flames shooting up the side, and the other has the look of being constructed from the American flag. Across the room from “The Cost of Freedom” hangs Emily Bonina’s “Fragile Strength,” a triad of human hands, constructed of plaster, each holding a bowl containing a brightly colored tropical fish. While these pieces may be something other than paint on paper, they further enforce the rampant creativity that defines this show.

So if you have a few minutes between classes sometime in the next week, or if you need a break from studying for finals, mosey on over to the Frick Fine Arts building, relax your head, and enjoy some sweet, sweet student art.

The University Art gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays.