The Student Artist Community kicked off its first annual art exhibit Sept. 24 in the Craft Studio, displaying pieces created by current undergraduate students at MU.
“This has been a really big step for the group as a whole, particularly because it has had so many struggles getting membership participation from the art students particularly,” SAC President Ryan Johnson said.
Despite the struggle, there was a plethora of sculptures, paintings, drawings, photography and even pillows on display in the studio. Onlookers such as junior Karen Rodriguez said they enjoyed what they saw.
“It’s just always nice to see people put so much time and so much effort and so much meaning into art,” Rodriguez said. “I like to see that come through in their shows, and the way they talk about it is really interesting. You can tell that there’s passion there.”
Johnson said he thinks the exhibit was a success because of such enthusiasm.
“Any show is good for an artist just because it grants them some form or another of publicity, but a couple of us have even sold our work,” Johnson said. “We’re looking at the possibility of doing a show every semester. It’s still to be determined, though.”
Though Rodriguez bought two pieces, her favorite was purchased by someone else. A colored pencil drawing by Johnson called “The Distance Between the Earth and Our Feet” featured a woman holding an umbrella in one hand and a little boy’s hand in the other.
“That was the most personal piece of mine on display,” Johnson said. “I started sketching it immediately after my mom was diagnosed with cancer, and I finished it after she passed last summer.”
Rodriguez said the piece spoke to her inner child.
“It was just so beautiful,” Rodriguez said. “I mean, the faces were sad. It definitely reminds you of those times in your childhood when you feel alone.”
The show has been profitable for not only some of the artists, but also younger members of the SAC. Freshman Haley Boeschen said she benefited from the experience.
“I’ve already gotten into a show, and that looks really good on resumes, so just the fact that they were really quick with getting me involved in things and getting me into art shows was really cool,” Boeschen said.
At times, artists struggle with the overall finished products of their creations, Boeschen said.
“Getting everything the way that I imagined it is really hard because sometimes when I’m working on something for a really long time, and then I step away from it, and it’s not anything I wanted it to be, it’s really frustrating, so then I have to start over,” Boeschen said.
Johnson said his favorite part about creating artwork is being “in the zone,” but that moment can be difficult to achieve if a person is not 100 percent focused on what he or she is doing.
“I would imagine that it’s kind of similar to when you’re playing sports,” he said. “When you’re just like, ‘I just wish I can get into the zone, but I just can’t,’ and there are times when that happens. But when it does happen, that’s when it’s the best part.”
