By Halle Raab
This art gallery has been a venue for ArtPrize every single year of the 10 years that ArtPrize has been active. It is extremely easy for students to access this incredible artwork. The venue is open and free to everyone through October 7th.
There are six different pieces on display: “The Poisoning of Arius” created by Jay Constantine, “The Fall” drawn by Kristin Casaletto, “Muses” by Christy Lee Rogers and “Cave” created by Dan Rule.
“I find all of these artworks interesting and visually compelling in different ways,” stated Nick Antonakis, Visual Arts department head, in an email to The Collegiate. “I chose them because they offer quality and creativity that will keep our students and community engaged.”
Just inside the gallery to the right is a collection of photos titled “Bright Eyes” by Jonathan Lopez, a Grand Rapids Community College graduate and artist who goes by the name Clay Alchemist. His ArtPrize entry consists of several portraits of animals sculpted out of clay partaking in human activities.
Another piece on exhibit in the gallery is “Sticks and Stones, Bullets and Guns.” This piece is a girl made of metal, bullets, sticks and other items. There is a target in place of the girl’s heart. “The students can think about what the artists are trying to communicate through these artworks,” Antonakis stated.
“Although each artist has presented one artwork, a couple of these are made up of multiple images while the rest are a singular image or video,” Antonakis stated.
When discussing art, a medium refers to the different materials and platform that is used to display what emotions or message the artist is trying to convey.
“Regardless of medium used, I hope that the students will view these art pieces with an interest in how they are made,” Antonakis stated. “The handling of the medium in each case is both personal and professional. It is very important to see artworks live because there is texture and detail that is impossible to decipher from a photograph alone. Moreover, the scale of an artwork (whether small or large) has an impact on how we perceive it.”
The pieces displayed in the gallery are unique and can be interpreted in different ways. Antonakis states that “…the students can think about what the artists are trying to communicate through these artworks. Artists’ statements are helpful in this regard but viewers can usually find more to engage in.”
Antonakis looks forward to students visiting the art gallery to view the pieces and decipher what the pieces mean for themselves.
“I hope that our students will visit to investigate what these artworks are about,” he stated.
