Student-driven creative expression came to the forefront again this past Thursday.
UB’s annual “Art in the Open” at the Center for the Arts offered visitors an opportunity to experience varied student work across the arts department from live group performances to physical creations.
It’s a chance for the community to see the “worst of progress,” Reese Betts says.
“Most of these things would not be exhibited this way,” Betts, a second-year fine arts graduate student, says. “And I think it makes the artwork a little bit more accessible to show it without the guise of perfection.”
Betts’ work encompasses connecting posthumanism and media consumption to religious and political ideology in American history, built from found materials tied to domestic history. She opened her personal studio to showcase her creations made with non-recyclable soft plastics and broken dishes, deliberately leaving negative space in each design to create a web-like structure.
The event is a nice opportunity to connect with the Buffalo art community, said Betts.
“People have gone as far as to ask me about graduate school applications,” Betts said.
Bella Rosenthal, also a second-year graduate fine arts student, enjoys different perspectives that viewers have on her work. She had explored "systems of control" and through a display of repurposed candy wrappers in collages, examined how the small everyday objects can reflect ideas of consumerism and capitalism.
“It’s nice to evaluate how people are perceiving my work and if my intentions are the same as what is coming across,” Rosenthal says.
The exhibition never fails to shy away from including the unexpected forms of artwork.
Costumes, for one, aren’t just for Halloween, Max Levitt — the costume shop manager at UB Theatre and Dance — says.
“It’s a full time job,” Levitt said. “All of the media you consume has costumes in it, from your favorite TV show and movie to concerts.”
Student collaboration is at the heart of the costumes.
Levitt gives credit to Haley Adams, the student director, for drawing the cast, moodboard and research for the overall costume designs. Levitt also oversees a group of 10 to 15 students who assist Adams with makeup, hair, draping, sewing and craftwork.
“We create an environment for students to learn the discipline and technique to go out into the world and embrace all of those forms of art,” said Levitt.
Many of the students who attended either maintained relationships with the arts community at UB or were interested in the department’s offerings.
Michael Riordan, an attendee, jumped at the idea of being involved in an artist’s personal space. He came with the hope to network with UB’s stage crew as well.
Riordan is excited to return next year’s edition, hopefully with an addition of his own.
“This is where they’re working,” Riordan, a freshman in the UB Teach program, said. “It’s like catching them in the act.”
The arts desk can be reached at arts@ubspectrum.com.
