The senior art exhibit, “Bound,” held its opening reception on Friday, March 28. The gallery features works from three UM-Flint Art students: Catie Cunningham, Stephanie Bennett, and Gabe Wyrick. All three artists felt honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with each other on this exhibit.
“Getting to work on this exhibit with some of my favorite classmates means so much to me. We had such high hopes for the exhibit, and this whole experience of putting it together hasn’t felt real yet,” said Catie Cunningham, who will be pursuing a career in art education after she graduates from UM-Flint. “When we started this exhibit, it felt like it was going to be too big to put together. We had a limited budget and limited time, but we were able to knock it out.”
One of the unique features of “Bound” is the color scheme, which features a freshly painted, vibrant blue along the usually plain white walls within the gallery.
“We were allowed to paint the walls, which is something that has not happened for quite a few years. So it felt very special that we had been given permission to make our exhibit a little more unique,” Gabe Wyrick noted.
Assistant Professor of Arts Ash Arder, who served as the facilitator for “Bound,” feels very proud of the work that her students accomplished for this gallery. “Being able to witness the outcome of the students organizing, curating, and manifesting this multimedia exhibition fills me with a lot of pride. To be able to see them work so hard and be so tired, but then realize that it was worth it, seeing friends and family spending time with the works. I think it turned out beautifully.”
Stephanie Bennett, one of the artists featured in the exhibition, has a particularly special connection to “Bound.”
“When I was a kid, someone gave me some really nice art supplies and told me not to waste them, and to me, that sounded like they were telling me that what I made would not be good enough for these supplies,” Stephanie said. “So, if I could bring my inner child into this exhibit, I would show her one of my pieces, which has an aspect that involves my daughter who passed away, and I would tell her that it’s okay to make whatever you want. It doesn’t matter what other people think.”
