Aggie artists prove their resilience at this year’s annual BFA Exhibit
Utah State University’s fine arts students show how they kept their spark during a creatively dry season at the Burnout BFA Exhibition.
The exhibition is fully put on by these students who chose the name “burnout” to express their feelings about being art students during the pandemic.
With about 30 graduating students, this specific class of seniors had a very unique educational experience. The pandemic pulled them out of their studios, leaving them no choice but to create from home.
Art supplies were shipped to their home states and makeshift tools were built. Printmaking students were missing the 400-pound printing presses, and the ceramic students had to find ways to create their art without the kiln or clay normally provided. Painters set up their own studios and online courses were implemented. The students had to choose resilience to nurture their creativity and grow as artists.
Students moved out of state, spent time outdoors and used their time to try and find things around the house they could use to express themselves artistically.
Kassie Strong, a printmaking student, found her move back to her home state of Nevada to have a huge impact on her original thesis.
“My thesis was originally on finding beauty everywhere,” Strong said.
After moving away due to the coronavirus, her thesis shifted to the things she found beautiful in an arguably barren landscape.
“My brother and I would just take off and we would go hike in the desert. I really started looking for the beauty around me instead of just in general,” Strong said. “That’s where I saw a lot of the little things that I found beautiful about the desert. I don’t think I would have seen all that stuff if I hadn’t been forced to go.”
With more time to conceptualize a thesis and less time to do hands-on work, many of the artists changed their theme over time.
“Something that I’ve heard time and time again from a lot of our professors has been that this group of BFA students is stronger compositionally and in the idea of the work because of the fact that we were not necessarily able to have that time to be in the studio,” said Lizzie Hull, a printmaking student in the program.
They sketched their ideas, built small models, developed their theses and eventually found themselves back in the studio for their last two semesters.
The artists have been working towards this exhibit for years, mastering their skills and shaping their pieces.
“The emphasis shows that not only do we know art, but we have done and are capable of developing a thesis and a complete body of work. We’ve also mastered a specific area of art,” Strong said.
The exhibition will act as their capstone project and give the artists the opportunity to showcase their work for the public to see. Viewers will be able to see the artwork, as well as binders that list the artists’ accomplishments and their messages. Many artists will also be selling their work at the exhibit.
Everyone experienced the pandemic in their own way that brought individual hardships. The artwork will showcase many different artists experiences during this time.
“There’ll be a little bit of something for everyone. There’s a wide variety of artwork that goes up. Each student develops something that is completely unique to them,” Hull said. “I think everyone will walk away taking what they need from it.”
All medias will be shown, including ceramics, printmaking, graphic design, drawing, painting, photography and interior design.
The artists are especially grateful for professors who helped push them and showed patience during creative droughts and online art courses.
It has taken months to perfect their works. Some built frames, used erasers and X-Acto knives and painted edges of the canvas to make sure their art was ready to be publicly appreciated.
“With the amount of work that we put in, at least I feel like no matter what anybody says, I’m so proud of myself,” Hull said. “You can put your heart and soul on something and you’re never sure until it goes up whether or not people are going to like it, whether or not it’s successful. People come in and tell you that you did a good job. This was worth it.”
The showcase will be free to the public and will be held in the Tippetts and Eccles Galleries from March 21 to April 7. The gallery will be open Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Photo by Kate Smith