(5/2021) The way that life around us has become, it sometimes feels like we have lived through a paradigm shift. Everything from watching a movie in a theater to seeing the face of a good friend has an almost foreign haze over it in our memories. Whatever one thinks of the measures used to handle COVID, this is a fact that cannot be ignored. With that in mind, almost everyone continues desperately to find that last hint of normalcy in the chaos. Sometimes, they are blessed with enough fortune to find that little speck.

One of these last ounces of normalcy was found at Mount St. Mary’s not long ago, at least at the time when this article was published. Late in the afternoon on April 8, an e-mail was sent out to the students en masse, announcing the presentation of a student art exhibition. Quite a bit of time has passed since the last one, due to the interruptions of the previous spring semester. It was all the more reason to look forwards to the Simon Gabriel Bruté Student Art Exhibition, as it was called. The art show ran from the day of its announcement to 23 April, leaving plenty of time for those interested to take full advantage of the artworks on display. Just like old times, the Delaplaine Arts Center was the home of the exhibition.

Professor Elizabeth Holtry, a familiar name at Mount St. Mary’s in the visual arts field, was the primary leadership figure of the exhibition. "I installed most of the artworks, but four students needed to re-create their installations on sight," she noted in an interview. A variety of art was present in the room and on the walls, with everything from student produced sculptures to delicate pastels. Encouraged by challenge as usual, however, not a single piece was picked due to professor favoritism. Rather, exactly as in a professional art show, there was a much more complicated selection process. "A jury chose the works for the exhibition," Holtry explained. The competition for selection, however, provided an opportunity to admire the labors of love on display from a small selection of the student body.

As with anything nowadays, this viewing pool was limited. Only faculty, staff, and administrators were permitted to attend the show alongside the students. "I wish my parents and my sister could see the piece in person," Lyla Kline, a freshman artist featured in the exhibition, commented. Her submission, which was displayed adjacent to the entryway door, was a unique piece that took much time and experimentation to complete. More than that, it was the perfect location for such a unique piece to set the standard for the exhibition. Titled Perpetual Wish, the sculpture was made of a variety of household items such as wire, dried flowers, and antique store merchandise, representing certain themes. Kline mentioned stopping by an antique store with her sister to purchase items out of which to make the piece. "I initially found an old phone," she stated; "when we were getting ready to leave, I found this pink perfume bottle with a decaying atomizer. I thought this found object had a lot of potential."

Underlying the objects used to produce the sculpture was a distinct theme integrated with the physical presence of the items. Choosing to use the atomizer to represent the finiteness of reality, Kline developed the guiding theme. "I wanted to add on to this even more and make a piece about how all good things must come to an end, but there is always something new to look forward to in life," the freshman explained. At the same time, however, Kline noted that "What made this piece unique, was the fact I did not really have a plan or vision with how it was going to turn out." The only certainty in the process was the use of clay, learned from her high school years. The artist decided to display the piece on the wall rather than on a pedestal or shelf. In her opinion, there was an aspect of surprise to seeing a perfume bottle on a wall, carrying with it an air of unpredictability. It was enough to seize the attention of a visitor to the exhibition, exemplifying Kline’s careful consideration behind her art. Considering all her work, the freshman expressed her feelings that it was a satisfying experience. In Kline’s own words, "to see my piece hung on display with the official name tag was a reminder to me of the positive impacts that come from determination and hard work."

Another student featured in the show, Natalie Meador, had similar feelings about having her artwork on display. "I’m extremely grateful to have my work shown alongside my peers because you can see how hard everyone worked on their pieces," she explained. Her piece, given the title of Reaching, was a penciled image of treetops bolstered by a naturalistic perspective from the forest floor. Meador explained that the drawing was inspired by an article she read that detailed "how certain trees in nature grow in a unique way to avoid touching one another and to maximize light exposure." Reflected by the gaps between the treetops in the image, called "crown shyness", this concept was a means for Meador to reflect on the current pandemic. "I felt like this pattern in nature was a more abstract way of commenting on social distancing without being too literal," she noted.

Meador sought to create what she called a "sense of mystery." With that goal in mind, she employed the unique perspective of the scene and combined it with vivid abstract colors to develop the mysterious demeanor of the painting. Equally interesting was the fact that Reaching was the culmination of Meador’s prior works. She explained that "A lot of my previous work focused on colorful, abstracted organic forms but this one was mostly unique." Similar to other artists in the exhibition, Meador’s work had a general idea, but not exactly a "plan" in the traditional sense. It is under such circumstances that the greatest of art results from, a reality both her and Kline seem to have understood. "I knew I wanted trees to be my subject for this project, so I sketched out some ideas and just went from there," she explained, detailing the process of Reaching’s creation and evolution. When asked about how the art show’s differences affected the experience, Meador held a positive outlook. In her own excited words, "knowing only the campus community can view it in person is still an honor because last year we could not even have a student show, so I’m really happy it came together this year!"

That is a sentiment that all can share at the moment. Life is gradually returning to normal, and as the chaos of the past year slips behind us, the future opens bright. The Simon Gabriel Bruté Student Art Exhibition at Mount St. Mary’s reflected this on a smaller scale. As the semester draws ever nearer to a close, the art show serves as more than just an opportunity for the artists to display their work and for students to enjoy it, but for the glimpse of a hope for the future. Perhaps, then, the sentiment that there is "always something new to look forward to in life" is a timely and fitting one.