North Admas, MA — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) senior art students will launch their website exhibition, titled “And So it Goes,” with an online event featuring artist talks from 5-7 p.m. Friday, May, 1, 2020. The event and exhibitionwill feature artists Emery Bibbins, Liz Brick, Gillian Catherine Fournier, Spring Hajjar, Samantha Louise Hinds, Sierra Lamonde, Kelsey Sherman, and Macie Turrell, all Class of 2020.
Each artist’s individual work spans a variety of themes and mediums. Themes range from mental illness and self-reflection to climate change and addiction, with a wide array in between. The artists’ chosen media run a similar gamut, with comics, painting/drawing, letterpress, plarn (plastic bag yarn), and assemblage. Yet, the artists connect back to each other through the common theme suggested by the title “And So It Goes.”
Macie Turrell describes the connection between the exhibit title and her work as “we are acknowledging the issues we are dealing with and we are able to see them and think about them. In my work, this idea is manifested in the frame.”
Liz Brick said, “’And So It Goes’ reminds me to keep moving forward, even in the face of something grim, and (when) life seems to get too overwhelming.”
The exhibition has traditionally offered seniors the chance to share their hard work with the wider community and allowed them to show how MCLA has contributed to their growth as artists. Though COVID-19 has impeded their ability to hold an opening in person, the students and their professors wanted to make sure they were able to uphold this important tradition.
This exhibition is the final event for MCLA art majors, and while originally slated to be at the college’s gallery, MCLA’s Gallery 51, the students worked together with their professors to create this virtual experience.
“The relationships that I have cultivated with professors and colleagues, as well as the experiences I have had through my coursework, all provided me with the support, feedback, and time needed to prepare for this culminating exhibit,” said Kelsey Sherman.
A limited number of tickets are available to the public for this online virtual event. You can reserve yours here: https://mcla.ticketleap.com/and-so-it-goes/
“And So It Goes” will be open online (and the website will go live) on Friday, May 1, 2020 at https://www.mclaseniorartmajors.com.
About MCLA
At MCLA, we’re here for all —and focused on each — of our students. Classes are taught by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive on every level of their lives. Nearly 93% of our graduates land competitive jobs or are accepted by some of the best grad schools in the country. We engage in the most nationally relevant conversations by hosting some of the most celebrated thinkers and speakers on our campus in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, an area known for its mountain ranges, hiking trails, and panoramic views. Our home town of North Adams is brimming with young, creative energy and the regional economy is booming as a result. In nearly every way possible, the experience at MCLA is designed to elevate you as an individual, a leader, and a communicator, fully empowered to make your impression on the world.
For more information, go to www.mcla.edu.
About Gallery 51
MCLA Gallery 51 is a program of MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center. The Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. MCLA Gallery 51 is at 51 Main St. in North Adams.MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC) provides opportunities, resources, and support to the Northern Berkshire Community. BCRC brings together the Northern Berkshire, MCLA and greater creative communities through its cultural programming, including MCLA Gallery 51, DownStreet Art, Berkshire Hills Internship Program (B-HIP), and MCLA Presents! The BCRC promotes, facilitates, and encourages a dialogue to foster a sustainable, creative community.