To kickoff the two week long annual student art show, Long Beach City College’s visual & media arts department is hosting an open studio night for student artists to introduce their work to the public in the K-building at LAC.
Student artists are using this opportunity to showcase their work in a professional gallery setting which serves as a reminder of the variety of opportunities available at LBCC.
“A lot of students never make it over to this building, so this is a chance for them to come and see what the students produce. Which is spectacular work,” professor of drawing and painting, Stanislav Orlovski said.
Gallery goers will have the opportunity to easily view the art as drawings and paintings cover the walls and sculptures spread around the room create pathways to allow for observation of the student creations.
Art major Ronald Fernandez appreciated the different mediums of art that fellow students used to explore a variety of themes.
“It’s really good we get to see more of the student artwork. We all have our own specific interest as to what we believe is good art,” Fernandez said.
The subjectivity of the art appreciation can generate a lot of confusion because art can be an abstract concept, which allows for the underlying meaning of an art piece to be both over complicated and over simplified depending on the observer.
When it comes to showcasing student work for the gallery, the professors decide which pieces from their class are presented, making sure the work is representative of the artists and the school.
“The work has to be of the highest quality, and the work is very different. But they all met that standard with these very different ideas they’re pursuing,” said professor of sculpture art Coleen Sterritt.
Both the gallery and the courtyard of the K building are filled with art from a variety of classes and skill levels, selected by professors who monitor and develop the growth of their student artists.
This maintains the originality of the art showcased while further highlighting the quality of work from student.
The gallery will be open to the public over the next two weeks on Monday and Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday at noon to 8:30 p.m., and the event concludes on Saturday, May 25 from noon to 4 p.m.