Visual Art students (l-r) Rayce Spence, James Halliday and Kristie Bush work at completing a four-by-eight-foot woodblock print, a collaborative project in their Advance Printmaking course. The woodblock will be printed by steamroller on Friday, April 24 as part of their Progressions year-end show.
April 15, 2015 - 10:00am
Students in Vancouver Island University’s Visual Art program have created art work that ranges from very small to impressively large, and they are ready to share it all in their annual year-end show titled Progressions 2015 Friday, April 24.
Largest among the art works will be huge woodblock prints created with a steamroller in a public demonstration between 6:45 and 8:30 pm. Students in the Advanced Printmaking course, along with VIU Arts Club members, collaborated to design and carve a woodblock print measuring four by eight feet. With the donation of a steamroller and driver by Hub City Paving for the outdoor printing demonstration, this will be an exciting culmination to the student project.
The Progressions exhibition is a special celebration this year, says Visual Art instructor Gregory Ball, because it is the first held since VIU began to offer a four-year major in Visual Art.
“The hard work and dedication they put into their studies all culminates in the production of the amazing artwork we have on display at Progressions,” Ball says. “With new courses being offered, and our ability to retain our very talented students, we’re seeing the full extent of their development as they become emerging artists in the community.”
Progressions 2015 offers students a venue to showcase the best of their recent work in a professional capacity. Adjudicating faculty aim to select for display pieces that represent the full array of disciplines offered through the Visual Art program, including multimedia, paintings, photography, prints, drawings, sculpture and ceramics. The exhibition of senior student art work will be displayed at the Nanaimo Art Gallery on the VIU campus, while first year students’ work is installed in the Art building.
The public is invited to attend the Visual Art Student Award ceremony from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in Building 320, Room 120, and view student work between 7 and 9 pm.
Chantelle Delage, VIU Arts Club president and a third year student in the program, says the woodblock project is just one example of the art work that students have created together.
“It feels wonderful to be able to stay here with my peers to complete my degree,” she adds. “Together we have a community and a bond that helps fuel our creative drive.”
With the Bachelor of Arts major now available in Visual Art, students are now able to complete all four years of their degree at VIU rather than having to transfer to other institutions to continue their studies.
-30-
Media Contact:
Shari Bishop Bowes, Communications Officer, Vancouver Island University
P:250.740.6443 C: 250.618.1535 E: Communications@viu.ca
Tags: In the Community
