For the month of April, the Simpson community will have the opportunity to see senior students’ artwork at the Senior Art Exhibit at Farnham Galleries.

“The Senior Art Exhibit is the capstone experience of those who are studying art,” said Dave Richmond, associate professor of art.

It is not certain how many years the event has been taking place.

“The earliest date on our ‘Outstanding Senior’ plaque, given to the student who amongst other things, has the most outstanding senior artwork, is 1983,” said Justin Nostrala, associate professor of art.

Graduating art majors must choose from their portfolio of artwork they have created from their fall semesters to display.

“Generally each student shows five to 10 works of art,” Nostrala said.

Depending on class size and the form of art, the number of artwork each student can show may vary. The choice of work students’ display depends on which style of art that suits them the best.

“Usually students come in with an idea of a style they wish to pursue,” Richmond said. “Then through the discovery of art it evolves into an entire different form.”

Not all of the artwork is within the same medium. Some forms of artwork include: electronic, performance, installations, painting, drawing, photography and ceramics.

“The type of work, for example, medium practiced, is also a factor,” Nostrala said.

Since there are many forms of art within the entire portfolio, the process of picking out specific artwork is a tedious.

“It was hard to narrow down the artwork because I did over 20 paintings and had to cut that at least in half,” senior Katelyn Combs said.

Much of the artwork in the exhibit displays pieces of art related to our current changing society.

“Visual art is a unique way of contemplating the state of our humanities and having the opportunity to take inventory of the world we live in,” Nostrala said.

Artists capture current events, attach their emotions and then apply this to their artwork that they create.

“If you really want to check on the world’s soul, see the work of the artists,” Nostrala said.

There is not a consistent theme within the gallery. Each individual has their own way of expressing their emotions through their artwork.

“An aspect of our program is that we encourage students to find and develop their own artistic voice,” Nostrala said.

The theme can be established by inspirational memories the artist wishes to remember.

“I decided to do paintings from Wesley Woods because the time I have spent there has really influenced my life,” senior Sarah Keller said.

The exhibit is open to anyone who wishes to see the hard work these individuals have put into their Simpson careers.

“I am so proud of all my fellow senior artists who have created wonderful pieces of artwork and I will truly miss working with all of them but look forward to our final senior art exhibit together in May,” senior Kate Teachout said.

Attending the art exhibit enlightens students about the amount of time that goes in to creating a significant piece.

“It is important for Simpson students to check out our work because it allows them to see what the art department does and the different talents on campus,” Combs said.

Farnham Galleries is located in Mary Berry, making the exhibit easy for students, faculty and the community to view the pieces and provide their opinion on the artwork.

“The show is pretty awesome and I think that everyone should take the time to stop by and see what their fellow students have been working hard on,” Keller said.