SoFA showcases paintings, ceramics by MFA students

Sometimes less is more.

That’s the idea the School of Fine Arts Gallery had about consolidating its student shows this year.

On Friday, the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts Gallery had an opening reception for the “IU School of Fine Arts Student Shows: MFA painting, metals, graphic design, ceramics and textiles,” the first of the gallery’s two student shows.

The exhibit will be on display until Saturday and the second show featuring sculpture, photography, digital art and printmaking will be on display from Jan. 26 to Feb. 6.

Last year, there were three student shows at the gallery: one for printmaking and painting, one for ceramics, graphic design, metals, sculpture and textiles, and another for photography and digital art.

“I’m very pleased at how this ends up being a cohesive show,” said Megan Abajian, public relations director for the SoFA Gallery. “Consolidating has paid off.”  

At Friday’s opening, the doors of the SoFA Gallery framed a scene much like any other. Groups of people stood in clusters drinking wine and beer while sampling bean salsa.

Couples made loops around the gallery admiring pieces like “Udder Bra” – a sculpture that on one hand resembles four breasts bound together but on the other hand resembles a cow’s udder.

Or, patrons viewed “An American Catastrophe” – a metal piece inspired by the infamous “Balloon Boy” incident.  

The consolidation has lead to concerns about space in the gallery, particularly for the students in the painting program.

But patrons did not seem to mind the variety.

“It’s fun to see how people are creative in different ways,” said law student Jason Wallace.  

Several of the exhibition’s pieces were interactive for the audience. One, called “Pendurador,” is a series of ropes and hooks that people can use to rig up their coats as they walked into the gallery.

Another crowd favorite was a series of film slides encased in metal that hang from the ceiling.

“I really like the slides,” said law student Aileen Cook, “I’d like a how-to, a do-it-yourself kind of thing.”

Abajian said one of the benefits of consolidating the shows is that more people come to each.

“A lot more people get out and get exposed,” she said. “I think it’s really benefiting Bloomington as a city.”