ARTS: Creating their final show
By Heron Carraman
Bridge contributing writer
Published Monday, May 16, 2022
Before they said goodbye to the University, the visual arts seniors put on one last show: the Nine Devines.
Nine Texas A&M International University students presented their work at the senior exhibition. The show presented works from various visual arts seniors ranging from paintings to drawings.
“[We had] a wide range of techniques and content,” Assistant Professor of art Jesse Shaw said. “This year, many students are interested in installation art and mixed media. [There were] works with many components displayed in three-dimensional space.”
A cyanotype and ceramics piece by Isai Olivas from the Blue Journey hangs on the wall on April 26 in the TAMIU Center for the Fine and Performing Arts gallery.
With an art show, organizers believe it is important to not restrict the artist on the subject matter of their work. While they did not have to follow a theme, Shaw did set one parameter for the students participating in the show.
“There is no theme, as each student has a very specific interest and subject matter,” Shaw explained. “The students do have to collaborate to title the show and produce their own poster for the show.”
Of course, Shaw did not organize the entire show by himself. He received help from the students participating in the show, along with their faculty mentors.
“The art works in the show reflect the students’ independent creative research and application of the chosen medium: painting, printmaking, ceramics, digital media, sculpture, drawing and/or photography,” Shaw said. “I facilitate the show and teach professional practices within artistic fields.”
Featured art piece by Tiffany N. Castro from the series the Garden of Sleep hangs on the wall on April 26 in the TAMIU Center for the Fine and Performing Arts gallery.
One of the students participating in the senior exhibition was senior Oscar Mata. For his artwork, he made sure to use as many materials as he could to add some variety to his work.
“The art mediums I used for both drawings and paintings include oils, acrylic paints, colored pencils and inks,” Mata explained.
Seeing as he had to decide on a theme for the art showcase, Mata chose a theme that would resonate with most everyone.
“The paintings and drawings I’m working on consist of objects that are either used every day or during the pandemic,” Mata said. “The reason I chose to cover everyday objects revolves around an object’s significance in our everyday lives and how they helped us at the start of the 2020 COVID pandemic.”
What made him choose the COVID-19 pandemic as inspiration is how heavily it affected everyone’s lives; many acquired a newfound appreciation for everyday objects.
Featured art pieces by Tiffany N. Castro from the series the Garden of Sleep set on April 26 in the TAMIU Center for the Fine and Performing Arts gallery.
“One reason I chose to cover everyday objects has to do with how important they are to our daily lives as we use them to do homework, communicate with others, consume, and entertain ourselves,” explains Mata.
When people look at his artwork, Mata hopes it had a lasting impression on them after they left the art show.
“After taking a look at the artwork, I hope the viewer realizes how beneficial the objects we use are to our lives,” Mata said.
The Nine Divines art show ran from Thursday, April 14 until April 27.
