VCU School of the Arts announces 2001 student exhibitions

By J. Suzanne Horsley

RICHMOND, Va. – Students from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts will display their best work in an exhibition series at the Anderson Gallery, 907 1/2 W. Franklin St. The series will open with the Student Design Exhibition on March 23-April 1. It will be followed by the Student Fine Arts Exhibition, April 13-22, and the two-part Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, April 27-May 6 and May 11-20.

The Student Design Exhibition will feature work from the Interior Design, Fashion Design, Photography, and Communication Arts and Design departments. It will open at the Anderson Gallery on March 23 with a reception at 5 p.m.

The annual Student Fine Arts Exhibition, now in its 30th year, will feature paintings, prints, sculptures, drawings, crafts, photography and video. Students are eligible to enter up to three pieces. Students do not need to be art majors to participate, but they must be enrolled in at least one fine art class during the spring semester.

"Each year, the Anderson Gallery brings to VCU a noted expert to judge the Student Fine Art Show," said Ted Potter, director of the Anderson Gallery. "The result is a stimulating exhibition, chosen from the most interesting and challenging student work to be found anywhere in the country."

This year, Dennis Szakacs, deputy director of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, will judge the Student Fine Arts Exhibition. Szakacs formerly was the managing director of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, a leading alternative art space in New York. He has extensive experience as an arts administrator, art critic and exhibition manager.

Szakacs will give a public talk at the Anderson Gallery at 1 p.m. April 6 to evaluate the entries and discuss his selections. The exhibition will open with a 5 p.m. reception on April 13.

The Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition is the final requirement for students earning a master’s degree in fine arts. The exhibition provides a forum for emerging artists and gives viewers a preview of new directions in the visual arts. Each participating artist will exhibit a group of work from one of the following categories: painting, printmaking, sculpture, communication arts and design, crafts, photography or interior design.

Round 1 of this exhibition will open with an April 27 reception, and Round 2 will open with a May 11 reception. Both receptions will start at 5 p.m. at the gallery.

"These exhibitions provide an excellent opportunity for viewers to invest in up-and-coming artists, as many of the pieces on show will be for sale," said Amy Moorefield, assistant director and curator of collections for the Anderson Gallery.

The exhibitions are free and open to the public. Anderson Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 1-5 p.m. For more details, call the gallery at (804) 828-1522 or visit www.vcu.edu/artweb/gallery.

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Anderson Gallery Event Dates

March 23 at 5 p.m.	Student Design Exhibition Opening Reception
April 6 at 1 p.m.	Public talk by Dennis Szakacs, judge for the Student Fine Arts Exhibition
April 13 at 5 p.m.	Student Fine Arts Exhibition Opening Reception
April 27 at 5 p.m.	Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition Opening Reception, Round 1
May 11at 5 p.m.	Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition Opening Reception, Round 2