Alumni Gallery Review

By Race Dillon.
The BCC art gallery is currently displaying the artwork of six BCC alumni. The six artists featured are Gretchen Van Dyke, Joshua Dodhia, Ken Ray, Alexander Hayden, Yun Hong Chang, and Rachel Van Pelt. All six graduated from BCC and were enrolled in art classes while attending. The idea for the exhibition came from BCC art professor and Gallery Director, Dale Lindman. Lindman said one of the goals for this exhibit was to “provide a professional platform for the artists, and to see what they’re doing.” Lindman also said it was tough locating alumni that were willing to participate in the exhibit. “Alumni from community colleges are not as tied as they are to bigger schools.” The works on display range from Chang’s intricate hair and porcelain pieces, to Ray’s colorful paintings, to Van Dyke’s large charcoal drawings. Each artist explores different themes in their work and this provides for a wide array of interpretations and mixed meaning for the viewers. From his artist statement Ray said his paintings “become structures from which I can subversively explore the grotesque.” While Sculptor Dodhia said from his artist statement: “My pieces are mutations of things that I see in the world and things that I hear in conversation.” While their styles and mediums are very different, a relationship can be felt between them when looking at each. Lindman noticed the relationships and said that while the show was not meant to have a theme, “It’s almost like this was all organized…When we were installing it, it was a little strange with all the connections.” Connections can especially be made between Rachel Van Pelt’s portraits of Frankenstein, and Hayden’s medieval looking sculpture, “Amidst Nowhere.” Not only is the alumni art show about showcasing former students, but also about providing current students with motivation and inspiration. “I tell students, get back to me in a couple years… Don’t forget us,” Lindman said. “I want this to be a tradition for students to keep up.” The BCC Gallery is located on the second floor of the D building, room 271. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday noon until 6 p.m., Saturdays from noon until 6 p.m., and is closed on Fridays and Sundays. It is open to everybody and admission is free.