SSU is now hosting its annual BFA Exhibition for 2026, exhibiting student works ranging from paintings, prints, and photography. The opening reception on Thursday, April 23 allowed guests to get a first look at the BFA cohort’s strongest work.

The gallery consists of student artists in the Bachelors of Fine Arts program, including painters Ellie Bertling and Maxine Grace Jones, printmakers Tess Hernandez and Grace Peterson, and photographer Grace Peterson. Peterson, who is graduating soon with a BFA in Art Studio concentrated in photography, felt that the inclusion of their work was an important moment for their educational experience.

“Sometimes I get imposter syndrome, where I feel like the work is not good enough,” Peterson said. “Having my artwork shown at a show feels validating in that way. It feels like what I’m doing is worth being shown and worth being talked about.”

Peterson is inspired by artists such as René Magritte and Man Ray, both figures of the surrealist art movement. the American-French painter who utilized surrealism along with dadaism in his works. These influences aid Peterson in her works, including what she believes is her strongest piece, entitled ‘Instances of Citrus Chamaeleonidae’.

“That one took a lot of work and a lot of skill that I learned being initially taught at the school, but then also from teaching myself,” Peterson said. “It’s my most important and impressive work because it took so long to animate it. There were a lot of computer processing problems that were resolved by the people of the department.”

Another artist featured in the exhibition is Tess Hernandez, who is also graduating this semester with her BFA in Art Studio and a concentration in Printmaking and Sculpture. According to Hernandez, her art style shifted over time as her confidence grew. “I lacked a lot of confidence in myself creatively. My style started off black and white, and it had violent undertones,” said Hernandez. “As I gained my confidence and found my community on campus, that totally changed . . . I got more colorful and took more risks in my art style . . . you can see the confidence shift.”

The exhibition was a first for Hernandez, with her work ‘Meeting the Quota’ including multimedia elements, an indicator of the experimentation she found the confidence to engage in through the BFA program. That community aspect is undeniably important – none of the stunning and thought-provoking works presented at the BFA exhibition could not be done without the help of SSU’s Art Department or the support of the SSU community.

“The big reason why I became so confident in myself is the community here at SSU,” said Hernandez. “The staff and students have been absolutely wonderful in lifting each other up and it’s just been a really great ride with everyone here.”