One last hurrah: BFA seniors showcase talent in final art exhibit

Senior Chenxi Gao works on setting up her artwork for Senior Showcase in the Martin Museum of Art. Sarah Pinkerton | Photographer

By Jenna Frisby | Social Media Editor

It’s the start of many “lasts” as graduation draws near. For art majors, the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Senior Exhibition marks their last time to display their art in Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center.

The second part of the BFA Senior Exhibition is coming to the Martin Museum from April 22-28. The showcase will feature work from photography, painting and printmaking seniors. San Clemente senior Claire Griffin is featured in the exhibit. She said she is looking forward to friends and family being able to admire everyone’s work on this special occasion.

“This exhibition allows us as artists to showcase our work to the public. We normally don’t have the opportunity for the public to see our work, as only our class peers do. It is refreshing to know new eyes and opinions will get to be seen and heard towards our work so we can grow more as individuals and artists,” Griffin said.

Griffin, a photography student, has a photo project on display in the Martin Museum exhibit. She said she is thankful for this experience to allow her to step out of her comfort zone and is pleased with the final result.

“Taking these photos was a challenge in itself as I was dealing with the public. That, however, is exactly what made them so rewarding. I was able to meet and talk to people that I never would have met if it weren’t for this project and exhibition,” Griffin said.

Plano senior Claire Gustafson has a printmaking series featured in the museum. She said her series is very meaningful to her and serves as a sense of closure as she concludes her undergraduate career.

“It’s nice after working on my art for the last four years to create a series that showcases all I have learned here at Baylor,” Gustafson said. “This series is really personal to me and it has been an emotional journey to create it. It’s a great feeling to be at the end and it’s a huge weight off my shoulders.”

Burleson senior Samantha Raleigh is a studio art major featured in the showcase. She said she is excited to share her series “Behind Me, In Front of Me.”

“This series is very personal and vulnerable for me, so it took a lot of both creative and emotional work. I hope that my art will be a point of connection and inspiration for people,” Raleigh said.

Colleyville senior Alyssa McCarn has an eight-print series featured in the show. McCarn said the seniors started planning for the show at the beginning of the semester, and have been working on their submission ever since. The show is special to McCarn because she said the art styles are so diverse and truly captures the Baylor art department.

“It’s cool that the show has photography, painting and printmaking,” McCarn said. “We’ve all developed our own concepts and there’s a lot of storytelling going on. Everyone is so talented and been working so hard so it’s cool to see it all come together.”