Eleven University at Buffalo graduating art students were no longer able to showcase their senior thesis projects in galleries due to COVID-19, but were still able to put their art in the public eye in alternate creative ways.
“We’ve all watched as the art world has quickly pivoted to the virtual realm, and there has been an explosion of online exhibitions, artist talks, studio visits, and performances,” said Becky Brown, visiting assistant professor for UB’s Department of Art. “Our students have wrestled with these same questions of how to make their projects accessible in the virtual realm, and they’ve come up some very creative solutions.”
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According to Brown, the eleven students still presented their work in public spheres, with sculpture projects moving into public spaces, Instagram live performances, app-activated artworks, a virtual tour of a student’s bedroom-turned-art-studio, and a faux Wikipedia page devoted to an invented society.
The seniors developed their projects (via public spaces and Instagram live performances, among others) based on their interests in climate change, meme culture, endangered animal species, and political issues in mediums such as drawing, digital compositions, graphic design, painting, performance and sculpture.
Visit bigartistenergy.com to learn about the graduating art students and see their work.
UB art dept. contact info:
Instagram: @ubdeptart