Listen Here
By Monica Crawford
crawfordm3@findlay.edu
From Feb. 9 to 20 and March 9 to 29, the University of Findlay’s Visual and Performing Arts Department will host its largest graduating senior class in 10 years. 16 seniors make up the show, broken into two cohorts that take turns filling the Dudley and Mary Marks Lea Gallery at the Virginia B. Gardner Fine Arts Pavilion with their work.
“There are quite a few mediums in the show, like graphic design work, photography, painting, drawing, illustration work, and printmaking,” said Valerie Escobedo, associate professor of art. “However, there are no ceramics this year.”
UF Graphic Design, Marketing, and Art History senior Ella Mescher gave her all for this diverse collection of art.
“A brochure and poster are graphic design pieces that were a part of my senior capstone project. And then I have a logo design, social media graphics from running my basketball team’s social media pages, as well as social media graphics from my internships. And then I have three pieces of photography,” said Mescher in an email interview.
With so many pieces submitted and displayed, limited time was a big factor that Mescher had to work around.
“Some of my pieces took the whole semester to complete, while others were quicker,” said Mescher. “Getting everything done time-wise was tough; I had to miss some classes, but the teachers here are great and very understanding, so that made things less stressful for me.”
Not only did seniors have to create and submit their work, but they also had to organize, plan, and advertise the show as well.
“The faculty set the dates for the shows and work with the seniors to get ready, but the seniors are the ones who get their work framed, design the layout of the gallery, hang everything on the walls, and do the marketing for the show,” said Escobedo.
However, those who are involved with the show believe it is worth all the energy and dedication, as it is a great way to conclude and recognize seniors’ great effort throughout their four years at UF and to embrace what’s next.
“For the faculty, the senior exhibit is a beautiful milestone—a time to reflect on the students’ growth and share in the anticipation of their bright futures in art and design,” said Beverly Fanning, associate professor of graphic design, in an email. “We are incredibly proud of the progress they have made and eager to see them bring their creative talents to the professional art and design world.”
The senior art show is open to submissions from graduating seniors in the graphic design, art education, children’s book illustration, and art management majors. Students who are not in these majors are invited to submit their artwork to the Student Art and Design Exhibition held from March 30 to April 23.
