Senior art pieces from the University of Connecticut’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program are on display in the UConn Art Building from April 19 to April 26 for the 2024 BFA Senior Exhibition. The final projects are on display for viewers to explore and interact with throughout the week.
The exhibition held an opening reception on Friday, April 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibition will remain open to members of the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
A letter of invitation to the public from the Bachelor of Fine Arts program said that the department was excited to once again be able to share the graduating seniors’ art in person.
“Though diverse in subject matter and chosen media, the exhibition is unified through the dedication and passion we share for our respective studio practices,” the letter said.
The senior projects take on a variety of mediums, including woodcutting, virtual reality and textiles. The exhibition also includes multiple projects in book form, exploring themes such as human features, growing up bicultural and feminism.
In addition to the displays, some of the artists had copies of their graphic stories available for attendees. There were also business cards of the artists for anyone interested in further exploring their works.
The opening reception was attended by many students, professors and family and friends of the senior artists. Grace Kennedy, one of the artists featured in the exhibition, said that she was happy to see all the public support for the arts.
Another featured artist, Caroline Strapp, created a book exploring feminism and her personal relationship to it as her art piece. Strapp said she was pleasantly surprised by the way people fully engaged with the pieces.
“It’s something I put a lot of time and effort into, so it’s really rewarding to see how much people actually care,” Strapp said.
Senior artist McKenna Gagnon said that their professors were very helpful in ensuring that each artist could make the most of the space the seniors were sharing in the exhibition.
“Especially being in a space where we’re all sharing one thing, it’s kind of hard, and I think they did a really good job of making sure that everyone had space to show their work, and everyone’s really happy,” Gagnon said.
Strapp said that it meant a lot to the artists to see fellow artists and members of the public exploring their art at the exhibition.
“I think it’s awesome to see so many people here,” Strapp said. “A lot of times, it feels like the art department is sort of its own little unit operating on its own little UConn island, but when we get to have a show like this, it’s really nice to see people come out and appreciate our work.”
The exhibition is at 830 Bolton Rd in Storrs, CT. The art can also be viewed on the UConn BFA Exhibition Instagram for those who cannot make it to the exhibition in person.