From prints of skeletons dancing on suburban ruins to photographs of people from outerspace, the Bruce Gallery has once again put together a smart and daring show full of fresh ideas that sustain its reputation as one of the most respected galleries in western Pennsylvania.
The gallery is full of work that is both dynamic and original. While the show is large, with more than 40 pieces of work currently on display, its steady pacing and overall cohesiveness make it feel intimate.
Bruce Gallery has the uncanny ability to transform a sometimes dreary, often times quiet college town into an exuberant and creative cultural epicenter with its edgy shows and impressive back catalogue of artists.
The gallery has exhibited works from world renowned artists such as Jay Ryan, Toulouse Lautrec, Leeah Joo,and Tom Huck, and the student work in this year's Annual Student Exhibition definitely lives up to the gallery's high expectations.
John Bavaro, the director of Bruce Gallery, said that the gallery is a venue that not only gives students the opportunity to see works of art from major American artists, but it is also a space where students can exhibit their own works.
"We exist to bring in outside artists that students wouldn't be able to see otherwise," Bavaro explains. "We also exist to show off the accomplishments of our students."
As you begin to look around the gallery, you start to notice that the exhibition runs the gamut of emotions ranging from jovial and cheerful, two emotions clearly felt in the row of smiling sculptures by Cathryn Mowrey, to frustration and uncertainty, as seen in Whitney Calvert's installation of drawings titled, "Conflicted."
The juxtaposition of the varying themes and moods give the show a sturdy foundation that allows you to experience these strong, and sometimes intense, feelings all at once without becoming overwhelmed.
In her juror's statement, Patty Baldwin seemed to agree that the show had a unified quality to it.
"The majority of work [shared a] singular focus on the face and figure [with] faces looking out, showing our sheer fascinations since birth of looking, being seen and reaching out."
She also thanked the artists for having "the courage to dig deep into [their] commitment" as artists to discover their "unique vision."
The annual student exhibition is both complex and mature, and feels more like a celebration of life rather than an exhibition of student work.
It is unlike anything I've seen on campus so far this year.
So, if you get the chance, do yourself a favor and check out the show. It runs through April 23 and with a variety of fervent work from up-and-coming artists from Edinboro University, it would be a shame to miss a show filled with such impassioned, envelope-pushing expression.
The Bruce Gallery is open from Monday-Friday from 12-7 and on Saturday from 12-5. For more information, visit www.brucegallery.org.
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