STUDENT ART AND DESIGN CELEBRATED IN YEAR END SHOW

For the past year students in VIU’s Department of Art & Design have been organizing events, such as the popular ‘Zombie Walk’, to raise funds for their annual end-of-year student show *Progressions*.

This year’s show, which had a successful launch on April 23, will run until May 11 in a number of different venues on the Nanaimo campus: the work of the Visual Arts students can be seen in the Art Gallery on VIU’s Nanaimo Campus (Bldg 330); to see the work of Interior and Graphic Design students visit the Malaspina Theatre lobby and the second floor of Bldg 325.

Guests can view sophisticated and thoughtful works from students in their first, second and third year of the Graphic Design, Visual Art and Interior Design programs in the department. “There is a wide variety of works from printmaking and photography to video and ceramics as well as more traditional forms of art such as painting and water colours,” says Courtenay Quist, president of the Art and Design Students club and a Visual Arts student. There are also creative room design displays from Interior Design students.

Quist feels the annual show is a huge opportunity for students in the department, giving them a chance to showcase their work but also to learn about what it takes to prepare work to be exhibited. “I’ve learned how to do matting and framing as well as how to hang my work properly,” says Quist. “I’ve also learned about the marketing side of the business and how to promote my work. For example, I now have business cards and when I first started I would never have considered this was necessary. So it gives students good, practical, hands on experience.”

Trina M’Lot is graduating from the Graphic Design program this year and believes *Progressions* is an opportunity for students to show the rest of the community just how hard they’ve been working. “We spend so much time in our own building, separated from everyone else and *Progressions* is a way to invite the community in and show them what we’ve been doing. For Graphic Design students it’s also an opportunity to demonstrate graphic design is everywhere – from the magazines you read, to the packaging on consumer products to a brochure from your bank.”

According to Nancy Page instructor and co-chair of VIU’s Art & Design Department, the launch was a great success. “It started with an awards ceremony in the Malaspina Theatre where students in all of the programs were recognized for a variety of achievements,” says Page. “One of the highlights was the first ever awarding of the “Peer-to-Peer” award which saw fourth year students give awards to third year students they felt deserved special recognition.”

*Progressions* will be open for public viewing until May 11 at the various venues. For more information contact Pamela Speight, instructor in the Art & Design department at: pamela.speight@viu.ca.