Art and design students go 'Al Dente'

As people wandered through the University Art Gallery April this week, the steady murmuring of appreciative voices was heard over the piano music accompanying a flash animation movie of “The Runaway Bunny.”

The art and design department’s annual juried student show, “Al Dente,” opened Friday and will run through May 5. The show features art from all kinds of media including painting, sculpture, photography, graphic design, glasswork and more.

Students submitted work from their art and design classes, and the show’s pieces were selected by Sinead Finnerty-Pyne, the artistic director of the Los Angeles Art Association. Finnerty-Pyne also selected the winners; each best of show winner received a cash prize at the opening.

“(The work) was a very good depiction of the classes here,” said Amanda Wallace, art and design junior and student gallery coordinator.

As well as paintings and photographs, the art show features more unique pieces such as a garbage bag wall sculpture reminiscent of Auguste Rodin’s “Gates of Hell” and a wall of mounted objects and meanings, including a condom with “currency” below it and a sheep representing education.

A few pieces featured here also appeared at winter’s Pushpin, the quarterly event that allows all art students to exhibit their work. Many students take home or forget about their work from fall quarter, Wallace explained.

The layout of the gallery allowed for easy movement, and was designed by the students in ART 336, Exhibition Design/Museum Studies.

“All the work was worth it,” art and design sophomore Kelly Lowe said of the final product. “It was great to see the work professionally laid out.”

While perusing the gallery, it’s not uncommon to hear fancy art terms flying back and forth between onlookers. To put intimidation aside, research and try out a few terms yourself. Some examples, taken from the mouths of art and design students, include simultaneous contrast, Gestalt theory, Chiaroscuro and postmodernism.

There are plenty of opportunities left; the University Art Gallery is located in the Dexter building, room 171, and is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays.

The following art and design students received awards at the Friday opening. Jordan English won the award for Best Photo and Jason Martinez received honorable mention. Laura Krifka garnered the Best Studio 2D prize and honorable mention went to Lauren O’Donnell. For Best Studio 3D, Cassie McFarland won and Melinda Diaz received honorable mention. Best Graphic Design went to Damon Chin, with Crystal Matthew and Jake Zuckerman getting honorable mention.