At the end of their Bowdoin career, senior art majors arrange their own exhibitions and bid farewell to the College. Tomorrow, seniors Avery Forbes, Joanna Sese, Nora Meyer, and Doran Rivera will put up their joint exhibition, which showcases their diverse artistic abilities.
Each artist is contributing a number of pieces to the show. Forbes is displaying several prints. She is also installing a piece of blank foam board upon which all Bowdoin students can doodle and create a "doodle collage." Sese is installing five large format portraits of friends, family, and herself. Meyer will show her non-figural, nature oil paintings, and Rivera will present video animations.
While a senior show is not mandatory for visual arts majors, Sese explained that it is a "special opportunity." This joint opportunity is especially interesting because it compiles unique and diverse artwork.
"We came together by chance because none of our art is alike," said Forbes. "We are all different people and the show reflects that."
The diversity "works to our advantage," Meyer added. "There is just so much for people to see. They get a lot of variety."
The artists explained that the show is also a reflection of and a tribute to the art department, for which they expressed much affection.
Sese described the department as "small and intimate."
"The department is filled with great people, and everyone gets really excited about your work, about art in general," she added.
The artists' involvement and perseverance in art is also a testament to the department. Many of the featured artists spoke to the fact that, upon arriving at Bowdoin, they had not anticipated that art would be so integral to their Bowdoin experience.
"We all came in with big question marks," Meyer said. "Maybe I'd minor in art, but it didn't really seem like something I should pursue."
"I came in as a bio major," Forbes said.
"And I was pre-med," Sese added.
What this initial hesitation is indicative of, they explained, is how wonderful the department is. It wasn't until they realized how much time they were spending on their art, how much they enjoyed it, and how supportive and constructive the professors were that they realized the impressive role art was playing in their time at Bowdoin.
"Everyone grows up being made to think that art is something you shouldn't pursue?that it's not productive," Sese said. "We're told that it's a nice hobby. That our art is pretty. It took a while for us all to realize that art was something that was here to stay."
They also pointed out the significance of their show's title, "The Best of Us is the Death of Us." It explains their artistic process and their Bowdoin experience.
"It's how we all make art," Forbes says. "We focus on meticulous details."
"We work until we feel like we might fall apart. But at the same time we love it. We love making art," Sese said.
Meyer added that it is also indicative of their departure from college. "We are all leaving and moving on," she said. "It's an ending, but also a beginning."
Their exhibit showcases not only the artists' talent, but also the collective artistic spirit of the Bowdoin community. It speaks to the growing presence of art on campus and its importance.
The opening of "The Best of Us is the Death of Us" is tomorrow from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m. in the Visual Arts Center Fishbowl and Kresge Galleries.
The show will be accompanied by live music performed by Kenny Fahey '08 and Sam Stack '08. Refreshments will be provided. Forbes will also give out the prizes for her campus wide doodle contest which include $50 dollars to Bull Moose, $25 to Big Top Deli, and freshly baked cookies.