Beginnings and endings
April 21, 2015
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The culmination of four years of study, creativity and hard work is on display this week as the graduating class from the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program hosts their annual year-end exhibition.
Begin Anywhere has transformed Ontario Hall into an art gallery featuring the work of 20 fourth-year students. There is an impressive range and depth to the artworks, from delicate fabrics and multi-layered print to paintings that take up an entire wall and a massive male form created out of layer upon layer of wood.
According to Otis Tamasauskas, a professor in the BFA program, the exhibition marks a transition point in the students鈥 lives and potential careers.
鈥淭his is their moment, where they get to participate as professionals,鈥 he says. 鈥淭his is what the program has been culminating to: to get them to be professionals. That鈥檚 the end result.鈥
He adds that the exhibition also offers an 鈥渙asis,鈥 where students, staff and faculty, as well as the public, can step away from the status quo and absorb the creative works.
Paintings, sculpture, prints and mixed-media installations 鈥減hysically and intellectually illuminate鈥 the halls and rooms of the building.
Reflecting on the graduating class, Professor Tamasauskas says they are a 鈥済ood group,鈥 adding that a number of students will be moving on to post-graduate studies in Saskatchewan, Calgary, Montreal and New Zealand.
鈥淭hey sort of live through the credence of creativity. You have to be independent, and individual, you have to think outside of the box. Well, they certainly do,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hey have maintained their individuality after the four years. It shows. They definitely are more sophisticated and mature in their interpretations of aesthetics now.鈥
For Francesca Pang (BFA鈥15), the exhibition not only marks the end of her studies at Queen鈥檚 but a new beginning as an artist on her own. She says she has learned a lot about herself through the process as well.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very rewarding I think. It really helps me figure out how I see my art and how people are going to be able to view it. I think setting something up like this it becomes very professional,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 think for myself, seeing my work up like this in relation to each other, I鈥檓 seeing the original intent of my work and then, as a series, how they are coming together.鈥
Begin Anywhere continues through to Saturday, April 25 at Ontario Hall 9 am-4 pm daily. A closing reception will be held on Saturday from 7-10pm. The exhibition is free and open to the public.