For this week, the walls inside Reid Hall have transformed into a collage of colored canvases, and its floor space has become a sea of 3-D forms.
UF’s Inter-Residence Hall Association has set up its annual art gallery, which this year is themed “The Nature of Art.” The grand opening event was Monday night, and the art will be up in Reid Hall’s first floor Fine Arts Living Learning Community space until Friday.
From intricate drawings and paintings to expressive photography and sculpture, all art featured in the gallery is student-submitted. The deadline to submit artwork was Friday. Students of all majors were invited to submit work of any medium.
Elizabeth Lunior, director of the art gallery and a 19-year-old psychology sophomore, said she and three assistant directors decided on the theme because they believe it provoked interest and left room for artistic expression. But submissions didn’t have to be nature-themed.
“We thought it would be appealing to a large range of students and also to the artistic-appreciating community as well,” she said.
The directors intend the main focus to be on the students’ work, Lunior said, not the nature-themed decorations.
She said the gallery strives to unite both artistic students who wish to showcase their creativity in a public environment and other students who are solely interested in viewing and discussing art.
“A lot of people don’t realize the amount of talent that’s on this campus,” Lunior said. “The event is a great way to promote artistic passion that you don’t normally see in everyday university life.”
Sarah Flanders, a 19-year-old animal science sophomore, said she was excited to show her large black-and-white photography piece in this year’s gallery. The piece is a collage of 12 still-life images, including portraits of family and friends and captured moments from everyday life, she said.
Displaying her art in the IRHA gallery is thrilling, not only because she’s able to show her work, but also because the artists can bounce ideas off of each other, she said.
“You’re able to get ideas from others’ art and play it off in your own work,” Flanders said.
Health science senior and IRHA staff member Alicia Jeffrey, 21, said she’s excited to visit this year’s gallery because it’s impressive to see what types of artwork other students are creating.
She said she believes the gallery provides a refreshing social atmosphere for students.
“It’s a little touch of culture in the swarm of not-so-classy alternative outings at Midtown,” Jeffrey said.
