Currently on display in the Beard Gallery is Muse of Form – 2016 Studio Art Major’ Exhibition. With the year coming to an end and studio art majors ending their careers here at Wheaton, the gallery provides a perfect chance for all of their hard work to be displayed. Open daily during the week, be sure to stop by and appreciate some of the diverse artistic talent that our school is lucky enough to have. On that note, here are some exciting reasons to visit the gallery:
1) The topics are relatable.
In her digital photography piece, You Are What You Eat, Kathryn Muehlberger explores her personal relationship with food and her journey into clean eating. In today’s society, this is an issue that many people face on a day-to-day basis. To see it represented artistically gives viewers a new perspective on the universal problem.
2) The pieces transport viewers to another place.
Upon walking into the center room of the gallery, viewers come face to face with a web of photographs on the wall. Titled The Eyes of Jamalpur, Karl Rivera presents a series of archival inkjet prints from a two-month trip to the city of Ahmedabad, India. The piece instantly takes audiences to another place.
3) The issues discussed through these art pieces are personal, yet political as well.
Sidney Beck uses her watercolor pieces to address how she came to a personal understanding of the refugee crisis in Syria by overcoming the presentation of the crisis in the media and realizing that compassion is key. Understanding the refugee’s loss of home comes from understanding one’s own sense of home.
Overall, it is quite amazing that a small liberal arts school like Wheaton has such a nice, professional gallery space for displaying pieces. Take a brief break from studying and head over to Watson to check it all out. The trip is quite worth it.