Creativity exploded in Metcalf Gallery on Feb. 27 with the opening of its annual student art show.
The Metcalf Open exhibition accepted submissions from any Taylor student who wanted to display their art. Entries included any form of art within the categories of 2D, 3D, illustration and graphic design. To qualify, entries must have been created within the past year, after the last Metcalf Open.
The artworks are judged by an outside party and first, second and third rankings are awarded for each category, along with honorable mentions. The Mitchell purchase prize is also awarded, where the university purchases the winning selection.
“The purpose of (the Open) is to bring all of the student artists together and showcase what everyone’s capable of and what they’ve completed within the last year,” Kaitlyn Habron, a senior 3D studio art major with a piece in the Open, said.
Habron, who has won multiple awards for her pieces in past years, submitted a collaborative project with senior film and media arts major Reina Frame. Together they sculpted a cake cowboy hat to symbolize their friendship. The cowboy hat represents Frame’s cowgirl vibe, and the cake is an homage to Habron’s reputation in the art department for making ceramic cakes, many of which were displayed in her senior show last year.
While art students hold senior shows during their final year, they have few other chances to display their work. The Open provides a time for them to share their work as they progress through their years at Taylor.
One of the best parts of attending the Open is seeing how people progress throughout their time at Taylor, Habron said.
“You get to see everyone truly step up and become the artist that God’s calling them to be, which is really neat,” she said.
Since students from any major may submit work, the Open showcases artistic talent from unexpected people, Habron said. Taylor has more creative people than people may realize.
It brings creatives together, Jillian Voges, a junior social work major whose art has been featured in past Opens, said.
“I’m not an art major,” Voges said. “I have no inclination to switch to that major, but I find it so exciting that the stuff that I make as someone who isn’t studying it can be featured in the same platform as someone who is doing it as basically a full-time job, and this is their full commitment.”
The exhibition also offers students a chance to experience the talents of their friends.
“Support the arts,” Phoebe Swanson, a sophomore 2D studio art major featured in the Open, said. “There’s a lot of talented people, and they deserve their stuff to be seen. And it’s really cool, too, because it’s all student work.”
The Metcalf Open will be available for viewing in Metcalf Gallery through March 27. The Taylor Art department invites anyone to stop by and enjoy the talents of the Taylor art community while it is still open.
