The student news site of El Camino College

El Camino College The Union

The student news site of El Camino College

El Camino College The Union

The student news site of El Camino College

El Camino College The Union

Art Gallery presents ‘Student Show 2016’

Bryan+Chavez%2C+19%2C+psychology+major+%28left%29%2C+with+Dianelly+Santos%2C+20%2C+sociology+major%2C+examine+the+art+piece+%E2%80%9CSteven+Seagull%E2%80%9D+by+Clara+Hana+Kwon+in+the+art+gallery+on+April+18.+Photo+credit%3A+Sue+Hong
Bryan Chavez, 19, psychology major (left), with Dianelly Santos, 20, sociology major, examine the art piece “Steven Seagull” by Clara Hana Kwon in the art gallery on April 18. Photo credit: Sue Hong

A blue and silver robot, a women dressed in red, adorned with a gold headpiece. These are the first two things you see the second you step into the “Student Show” here on campus.

It’s like stepping into the world of contemporary art, seeing all of the different, interesting paintings, sculptures and drawings that hang on the walls or sit on pedestals.

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All together, there are three rooms. To the right, is a small room with drawings and paintings hanging on a wall.

To the left, there is a large room with a row of artworks on pedestals, displaying different sculptures and paintings all around the walls.

Another smaller room holds a hallway of sculptures and a shelf of shoes all sitting in their own cubbies, hanging against the wall.

Elijah Hicks, 41, photography major, has his photo on display in the “Student Show.”

“It’s awesome when people are able to see your work in the gallery,” Hicks said. “Especially when you’re standing right next to them looking at it as well and they have no idea you’re the creator.”

Angie Gutierrez sees the art at the show as a hipper, younger art show.

“It’s like stepping into a smaller version of the Los Angeles City Museum of Arts,” Gutierrez, 18, art major, who attended the art show for extra credit, said.

This once-a-year event occurs at the close of the spring semester and has been established since 1971.

Susanna Meiers, the curator of the gallery, explains that “the work is selected by the instructors of the studio art classes and each instructor is given two selection slips for each studio class they teach.”

“Shows are selected for a variety of reasons,” Meiers said, “the most important, being that the work of professional artists can serve as a teaching tool (to the students).”

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Both in terms of craftsmanship and subject matter, this art gallery serves as a teaching lab/tool for the art department and as a focal point for discussion for classes all over the campus, Meiers explained.

“Looking at some of the sculptures sitting here, it makes me wonder what made the artist pick a piece of a plastic as this monster’s tooth and what the name of the art piece even means,” Bianca Chacon, 28, English major said.

Chacon attended because she saw the sign from outside the doors and thought it would be interesting to see what was inside.

“Although I’m not an art major, I still enjoy what art has to show and the different meanings behind not only the artist, but the viewer as well,” Chacon said.

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