Ouachita to host sophomore portfolio art exhibit, “Grace,” April 4-15

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March 18, 2016 - Caitlyn Barker

Ouachita Baptist University’s School of Fine Arts will host a Sophomore Portfolio Workshop Student Exhibition from April 4-15 in the Hammons Gallery in Mabee Fine Arts Center. The exhibit will be free and open to the public with a reception on April 7 at 6 p.m.

The exhibit will feature art from 11 students who are involved in the Sophomore Portfolio Workshop class. This is the first time Ouachita has offered the class, taught by Summer Bruch, associate professor of Art and Design. “There are a lot of aspects to creating a senior show, and the class was created to help students begin to prepare for their senior show earlier,” Bruch said.

Through the sophomore portfolio workshop, students will participate in every aspect of preparing a show, from hanging work, to typing the labels for the pieces, to preparing the gallery walls and actually creating the artwork. “This experience has helped me grow by showing me all of the time and dedication that goes into a show and just how hard it can be,” said Sarah Engebrecht, a sophomore graphic design major from Morrilton, Ark.

Ouachita art faculty chose the show’s theme, “Grace,” and presented it to the students in the class. At that point the students were able to take their own interpretations on the word and decide how they wanted to depict it through their artwork.

“The class discussed the various connotations and definitions of grace and what imagery we think of when we hear the word. From there, each of us took and ran with our own ideas,” said Chad Satchell, a sophomore graphic design major from Frisco, Texas.

Giving the students the opportunity to explore their own definition of grace allowed them to express themselves in a unique way.

“Their art says a lot about the hearts of the students. All of them chose to express ideas about God’s grace. The faculty had nothing to do with that. We just chose a word,” Bruch said.

Jan Whytock, a sophomore studio art major from Prince Edward Island, Canada, initially thought of many words to describe grace, but also images that helped depict what the word meant to her. “I kept coming back to how God’s grace is seen similarly to an uneven scale with our sin on one side and grace on the other,” she said.

Many of the artists said they used their relationships with God as well as the influence of other works of art as inspiration for their artwork.

“The influences for my artwork come from my love for God and pop art! I wanted to show God's grace through a colorful poster design,” said Dee McAdoo, a junior graphic design major from Smackover, Ark.

The students said they have experienced a range of emotions while preparing for the exhibit and are ready to show off their hard work to the Ouachita community.

“I’m mostly excited. It's always incredible to be able to show your art—that's why we make it after all,” said Satchell. “As the show gets closer sometimes you get nervous about whether the audience will enjoy the piece, but for me it's not about trying to make everyone like your art, it's about making art you enjoy and then finding others who enjoy it too.”

Engebrecht encouraged visitors to experience the show “because we are the next generation of artists and we have a lot to say to the world.”

Regular gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. For more information, contact OBU’s School of Fine Arts at (870) 245-5129.

By Caitlyn Barker

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