B.F.A. Exhibit at the University Art Gallery

Clinking wine glasses and loud chatter could be heard from afar in the small University Art Gallery Thursday night for the opening reception of the Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition 2015. 

Graduating bachelor of fine arts students have been waiting since the beginning of the academic year for the night that marked the end of their undergraduate career at Sonoma State University.

Known most commonly as the B.F.A. program by art students, the degree is 132 units where accepted students take an additional one-year to complete, working in their emphasis of art. 

“There’s a lot of potential in a lot of the artists in display,” said Katie Sue Anderson, graduating B.F.A art studio student, focusing on painting. “They all worked really hard.”

The plainly painted white walls of the University Art Gallery are covered with artworks of graduating seniors from the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at Sonoma State, works made in the mediums of photography, printmaking, works on paper and painting. 

“It’s pretty hard to even compare them because they are so incredibly different,” said Clare Joelson, graduating art studio major, focusing on painting. “There is no one similar to each other really and it’s always a really diverse group every B.F.A. show, always on a strong note.”

The 14 bachelor of fine arts students in the current exhibition include Kadie Sue Anderson (painting), Peter Brennan (photography), Will Elias (printmaking), Ashley Farlan (painting), Daniel Gardner (painting), Hillary Gattian (painting), Ali Haselbeck (painting), Sarah Heyward (painting), Dayana Leon (painting), Isaac Lopez (painting), Sarah Newcomb (painting), Hadley Radt (painting), Corinne Robertson (printmaking) and Cameron York (printmaking).

The lack of sculpture was present, with graduating artists only focusing on two-dimensional works on the walls.

“I think this is important for students on campus to know about because we put so much work and effort into it,” said Cameron York, graduating bachelor of fine arts student, focusing on printmaking. “Young artists are out here doing their thing you know, finding their voice.”

The exhibition represents the diverse creativity of the program, every student has their own voice and style of art which was seen walking by every few feet in the exhibition. 

Lopez, with his larger than life paintings, painted his canvas all red before going over with different gradients of gray and black. Many of his works focus on political and religious issues. 

Anderson, working with photographing and painting, creates alter egos and documents them, with influence from the iconic photographer Cindy Sherman. 

“I started initially dressing up and photographing myself in different characters, just as a tribute to her, Cindy Sherman,” said Anderson. “As time went by, I developed the ideas further and hit a stride of my own, where I am creating further developed characters and placing them in ironic, funny situations.”

During the opening reception, Anderson came dressed in an alter ego, Carlotta Weintrob, a New York art dealer. When asked why, she said she wanted to dress up like someone important in the art world. 

Brennan works with photography and printmaking, he created a slideshow of images shot on color film and shown in a loop of edited images at different perspectives.   

“It kind of reminds you what you can end on, what you are capable of and what your peers are capable of,” said Joelson. “We all have the same teachers, but end with such different results, and we all want to say different things. The art department in general is really strong, and that makes the students really strong.”

The BFA exhibition will be up for viewing through May 16.

Correction: May 6, 2015 
Cameron York was earlier stated as a B.F.A. student with an emphasis in Painting. York has an emphasis in printmaking.