Kennesaw State’s School of Art and Design’s “Visions” program is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.
The program was founded in 1983 by Roberta Griffin and Patrick Taylor, both retired art faculty members, to stimulate awareness in the visual arts among KSU students and faculty. Last week kicked off the annual student art exhibition.
Located in the fine arts gallery in the Wilson building, the collection featured over 40 works of art by 30 KSU student artists. The works on display range from oil paintings to bronze sculptures and are of a quality and caliber that may surprise and delight anyone who sees them.
Each year, the “Visions” staff, currently led by president Hayley Leavitt and vice president Sarah McClymond, reach out to an independent juror or jurors to select the art for the exhibition from the submitted work. This year, that juror was April Borchelt, an artist in the video game industry and KSU alumna.
Borchelt said she was honored to be invited to select this year’s pieces of work.
“There was a ton of great work, so it was really hard to narrow it down,” she said. “I was mainly looking at figure work, and, if it was an abstract piece, did they convey the emotion they were trying to get across?”
The Reception and Awards Announcement Ceremony took place from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24. During the ceremony, some of the finalists weighed in on their selection for the exhibition.
Jamie D’Orazio, a photography major, felt “really good” about being selected.
“I’m kind of honored to be able to compete next to people who make such good art because I can’t paint like that. I feel special my name is on the window too,” D’Orazio said.
For Agata Magelis, a painting and drawing major, it was a “dream come true.”
“This is the second year I’m participating and the second year I’ve been chosen, and I’m really flattered and honored to be here,” Magelis said.
Chase LaVigne, an animation student, expressed a similar sentiment.
“It’s actually a huge honor. I’ve done art exhibitions with local groups in Atlanta and in high school, but this is actually really big,” LaVigne said. “I’ve never done something this huge, and it’s really amazing because there’s a lot of variety and a lot of breadth in the room.”
The “Visions” exhibition will run until Feb. 22, and the gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
