Rice student art to be celebrated April 21

The work of Rice undergraduate artists, performers and filmmakers will be celebrated during the Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts’ 53rd annual student art exhibition April 21. The multifaceted evening of celebration will begin at the Rice Media Center, followed by events at Sewall Hall.

Image courtesy of the Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts

The student-run Mavis C. Pitman Award Exhibition, titled “Junk Portal,” will kick off with a reception at 6 p.m. in the Rice Media Center gallery and feature installations by visual and dramatic arts majors and seniors Jenny Cernada, Matthew Kerkstra and Cindy Thaung. The three students will discuss their works, which will be on display through May 14. An awards ceremony will be at 6:30 p.m. At 7:07 p.m., the program will move to the center’s Rice Cinema Film Theatre for the “Flicks!” student film showcase.

The annual student art exhibition, featuring work in diverse media by graduating seniors and undergraduate visual and dramatic arts students, will open at 8 p.m. on the fourth- and fifth-floor studios in Sewall Hall. The undergraduate show is curated by visiting lecturer Josh Bernstein. The senior exhibition, “Scratch n’ Sniff,” will take place on the fourth floor of Sewall Hall in an open studios format and in the Matchbox Gallery, located in Room 258. The department’s studio art seniors collaborated with film and photography students to put on the exhibition. The works will be on display through May 14.

“In the senior exhibition, students take all they have learned through their coursework and apply it to a grand project of their own design,” said Tish Stringer, lecturer and film program manager. “It’s their chance to direct all aspects of a piece from conception to installation, and seeing that vision realized is empowering. The students are really dedicated and have produced exceptional work.”

For more information, go to http://arts.rice.edu or call 713-348-4882.