Open gallery attracts artistic students

The Marshall Student Center’s (MSC) Centre Gallery is offering a community challenge with its newest exhibition, ‘So You Think You Can Paint.’

After numerous complaints from non-art majors about the work typically featured in the’gallery, Vincent Kral, a USF alumni who is chief preparatory at the’University’s Contemporary Art Museum,’submitted a proposal to’the gallery: display art’from anyone who wants it there.

A take off of FOX TV’s show ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ the gallery will display art from students, alum, faculty and’members of the community – a move away from the typical rules of the gallery.

‘ ‘Anyone can contribute,’ said Emma Hauser, director of public relations for the Centre Gallery and a senior majoring in public relations. ‘We have adults within the community and even high school students brining in paintings.’

The MSC Gallery typically accepts proposals from groups at the University that apply to use the space. Art students who wish to use the space are’expected to submit applications that take a lot of time and’advanced planning.

The only requirement for the new exhibition is that it must be a painting, Hauser said. The art will be judged on technique not content, and all genres are’welcome, she said.

Since it’s the first time the Centre Gallery has held this event, it’s considered’experimental, said Gabrielle’Hairabedian, director of artist’relations and a senior majoring’in environmental science and policy.

She said so far the community has responded well to the exhibition. Hairabedian and Hauser’ also said that while the number is still growing, there are more than 50 applications, well beyond their expectations.

‘We were impressed by so much participation and the’different types of people and art we received,’ Hauser said.

Hauser said she would like to see similar events at the gallery. Many of the students who contributed art to the exhibition felt the same.

Submitted paintings have been unique in subject matter and methods used to create them.

Scott Draft, a senior majoring in art, submitted a painting on a large piece of wood. Draft said he had no money for a canvas so he painted his abstract on the back of an old beer pong table.

‘I already had the painting. I just needed to finish it,’ he said. ‘It started with magazine’clippings and evolved.’

Kirsten Harness, formerly an art major who now studies’anthropology, said painting is still a hobby, and she likes the opportunity to display her work.

‘You don’t have to be an art student to create good art,’she said.

Joshua Jones, a graduate student in the architecture’department, also saw the event as a perfect opportunity to showcase his’favorite hobby.

‘I enjoy reading about art and I wanted to challenge’myself with portraits,’ he said. ‘I consider (my’painting) to be a ‘phenomenological doodle’ that’represents experience, motion’and gesture.’

The deadline to submit a’painting to the exhibition is Thursday. Submissions should be dropped off in the Centre Gallery, located in the MSC Room 2700.

A panel of judges will evaluate the paintings on video – much like on the TV show – and then show it during a reception and awards presentation Friday in the gallery from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The’paintings will be on display’until then.’

At this time, prizes are’undecided, but contestants can expect it to be paint related,’Hairabedian said.

The Centre Gallery is free to the public, open Monday through’Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.