Students Showcase Talent at Baer Gallery

The Annual Juried Student Art Show is now on display at the Baer Gallery in the Bush Art Center, and it is nothing less than extraordinary. Out of all the student drawings, paintings and photographs on display, there are some that definitely stand out. For example, Rodrido Villalobos Arevado '12 received an honorable mention for his work on "The Life Saver" which portrays itself as a double-edged sword. Arevado's work is done all in Life Saver candy arranged in a specific way to portray a gun. The image is both haunting and unsettling, yet the admirer cannot look away because of the message that it sends. Some of my favorites that did not place or receive honorable mentions were "Wise Ones," a series of photographs of young African boys from Togo and Ghana done by Adam Van Fossen '10. Carolyn Paplham '13 did an amazing piece done with pen and Photoshop entitled "Suspension of Disbelief." The colors jump off the paper and illuminate from normal things such as traffic lights, street lamps and even the sky. This piece pulls the admirer into the painting as they get lost in the busy work and bright colors.

Though "Wise Ones" did not place, Van Fossen did not walk away empty-handed. His print, titled "White Noise," received first place. It shows a calm body of water late at night with only a portion of the water lit up. Standing in front of this piece, one can't help but get an eerie feeling that, though the body of water is calm, something unsettling is quickly approaching.

By far one of the most entertaining and colorful pieces in the gallery is "Awareness" done by Gretel Bubnik '10. The colors that Bubnik chose to incorporate into her painting were colors that can portray an array of feelings. However, by mixing them together, the artist creates a feeling if both happiness and calmness at the same time. "Awareness" ties for second place.

I have been to some of the most famous museums around the world and art is one of my greatest weaknesses, as I allow myself to get lost inside paintings for hours on end. I would not be surprised if I were to walk into the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York, the Art Institute in Chicago or even the Tate in London and see a familiar name that was once featured in a St. Norbert Student Art Show.