A Dozen Art Students Exhibit in '12 Speed'

Twelve graduating art majors have created a visual capstone to their Westmont education and will exhibit work April 4-May 4 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. A free, public opening reception for “12 Speed” will include the artists Thursday, April 4, from 4 -6 p.m.

Susan Savage, Westmont professor of art, says the students have plenty of room in the museum compared to last year’s exhibition that featured 23 graduating art majors, the second most ever at Westmont. “This year the students have the luxury of working bigger, and most of them have taken advantage of that opportunity,” she says.

The students have worked with several different mediums, including etching, digital photography, drawing, painting, mixed media, digital painting, assemblage and sculptural installation. The artists are: Paige Boies, Benjamin Bisson, Tim Cederwall, Andrew Loy, Avary Mitchell, Amelia Neal, Alisha Paulsen, Bekah Rogers, Talia Sheets, Kalie Stier, Ari Stork and Samantha Watts.

Savage says many of the students planned ahead and worked to develop their initial concepts, while others welcomed the spontaneity of tackling current life challenges to bring their personal stories forward. “All these seniors worked with educational synthesis in mind,” she says. “From themes involving social and cultural content to those developed through deep personal conviction, all the works represented testify to each person’s walk and place in life.

“One of the joys of this exhibit is the revelation that each student’s uniqueness is tangibly demonstrated through the relationship of form and media. As a true test in comprehending the realities and responsibilities of self-direction, this exhibit offers everyone a glimpse of the complex inner dialogue that manifests itself within the artist, and ultimately comes out as art.”