Throughout the year, various visiting artists and exhibitions are usually shown in the UCM Gallery of Art and Design, but this time of the school year brings something else – Senior Exhibitions.

This semi-annual gallery showing is designed to celebrate the accumulated work of the graduating seniors of that semester. Separated into two separate exhibition dates, April 15-24 features studio artists (ceramics, painting and printmaking) and art education majors, and May 1-11 features illustration, graphic design and interior design work.

During this time, the gallery is bursting with amazing and diverse artwork that shows off the combined skills that students have acquired over their time at UCM.

“It’s nice to see the people I’ve known over the last four years work and see them improve and grow,” said Katie Watson, an illustration major graduating this year. “People have made such cool work and it’s great to see it up in a gallery for everyone to look at.”

The art showing is also a way for students to practice preparing, setting up and presenting their own work in a professional setting.

“It’s a great step for students to learn how to be professional artists. It really is a valuable process because of its use of outside assessment,” said painting professor John Louder, referencing the reviewers who work separate from the school to review the graduating students’ work. “It is also a great opportunity for students to celebrate with their friends and family. They should be proud. It’s a big moment.”

Many of the works shown in the gallery are also for sale, which is a great way for visitors and novice art collectors to show support for the graduating students as they continue on to their professional careers. It is rare for anyone to find such a large and diverse collection of young artists’ work anywhere with no cost to view.

So stop by UCM Art Gallery today and become a patron of the arts.

The showings are free and open to the public between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. during weekdays and between noon and 4 p.m. on Saturdays inside the UCM Art Center.