The Program in Visual Arts at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts presents a series of seven solo and five small group exhibitions and four screenings of new work by seniors in the Program through May 8 in galleries and the James Stewart Film Theater on the Princeton campus. Featuring work by seniors Seb Benzecry, Julian Castellon, Christina de Soto, Nazenin Eki, Milan Eldridge, Abby Hack, Thomas Hoopes, Janette Lu, Estibaliz Matulewicz, Roland Mounier, June Ho Park, Gabriella Pollner, Irene Ross, Katie Schneer, Yunzi Shi, Bhavani Srinivas, Jhor van der Horst, Elizabeth Wallace, Charity Young, and Ivy Xue, all of the exhibitions and screenings are free and open to the public.
The exhibitions, which will range widely in media and ideas explored, are among the requirements of seniors in the program who are either majoring in visual arts through a collaborative program of the Lewis Center and the Department of Art and Archaeology or are majoring in another area and pursuing a certificate in visual arts. The seniors are required to create a body of work generally organized around a central idea or area of investigation and present that work in a cohesive exhibition, with accompanying mentorship and critiques by their advisors and other faculty in the program. Each exhibition includes a reception where guests can meet and speak with the artist.
“This year’s seniors have created a particularly eclectic and wide-ranging body of work,” notes Martha Friedman, director of the Program in Visual Arts. “Running through May 8, one can stop by the Hurley, Hagan, or Lucas galleries on almost any given day and find themselves exposed to the unique voice of an emerging artist. By visiting the galleries periodically during the thesis exhibitions, one will experience a broad spectrum of perspectives, experiencing a snapshot of our current historical moment viewed through an array of vantage points that only the freshest survey shows can offer.”
The series of exhibitions will primarily be presented at the Lucas Gallery and Hagan Studio at 185 Nassau Street and the Hurley Gallery at the Lewis Arts complex. The Program has been expanding its facilities with the move in 2017 of the Lewis Center’s Programs in Dance, Theater, Music Theater and the Princeton Atelier from 185 Nassau to the arts complex, adding new teaching and student studios and a complete new suite of analog and digital photography facilities, and conversion of a former dance studio to a gallery space. The Hurley Gallery at the arts complex is a state-of-the-art exhibition space.
The Lucas Gallery and Hagan Studio are open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with access from the Williams Street parking lot entrance. The Hurley Gallery at the Lewis Arts complex is open daily 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
From May 12 through June 2, the annual group exhibition of work by all the seniors in the program, the Senior Show, will be presented in the Hurley Gallery.
Also in late spring, the work of students in the program focusing on filmmaking will be presented in a series of screenings. Seniors Seb Benzecry, Milan Eldridge, and Thomas Hoopes will present new short films at screenings on April 20 at 6:00 p.m. and April 22 at 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. in the James Stewart Film Theater at 185 Nassau Street. An opening reception for those seniors will be held on May 5 at 7:30 p.m. in conjunction with a group presentation of new films by junior and senior students at the Junior and Senior Film Screening.
The Program in Visual Arts offers studio courses that emphasize direct, hands-on art making under the guidance of practicing visual arts professionals. In order to develop their work, students are also given access to state-of-the-art technical, analog, and digital labs, including a fully functional letterpress studio, with additional new specialized studio spaces under construction this year. Students accepted into the program can pursue a degree or certificate in visual arts.
To learn more about these events, the Program in Visual Arts, and the more than 100 performances, exhibitions, readings, screenings, concerts and lectures offered each year at the Lewis Center, most of them free, visit arts.princeton.edu.
