By Jack Despeaux
Student Life Editor
Although students may not think of it this way, every moment of every day at Washington College students attend class, eat meals, do work, study, and live together. The space that is WC is shared and lived in by almost 1,500 students, but it certainly doesn’t always seem that way.
From March 23 to April 9, 22 students showcased their artwork in the Kohl Gallery. The gallery’s theme was “Expand Space/Share Place,” and students were encouraged to submit their pieces that fit the theme and provided new perspectives on space and place.
Students have the opportunity to express ideas in these art shows, and help broaden their understanding of the community through the Kohl Gallery.
“Art is a tool for people to convey their views of the world and for viewers to become more educated on other’s ideas,” senior Cameron Gilson said.
“I really wanted to focus on sharing space,” senior Anna Watts said. “This is something we all do everyday; we all inhabit the earth and share it on many scales, [both] worldly scales and more intimate [scales].”
Watts submitted three pieces of art to the gallery: “Politics,” “Fringe Shield,” and “Wrapped Shield.”
“A recurring interest in my work is combining materials and applications that are either thought of as masculine or feminine, and by combining them I’m in a way forcing them into a conversation, into the same space,” she said.
Gilson submitted his photography to the gallery.
“I submitted a double exposed film photograph that showed two parts of a park in NYC that I typically pass,” he said. “The first photo was of the entrance to the park and the second photo was the park itself. My work expanded the idea of a typical photograph and shared the space between two photos.”
Gilson pointed out during the opening reception that there were areas of the photograph that blended lines together, showing how space was shared in unique ways.
The students were very interested in the idea of space, and how it is shared.
“[Expand Space/Share Place] is important in today’s society because it allows the audience to view the various ways in which someone can share place and expand upon the normal ideas of space,” Gilson said. “The concept of sharing place can be applicable to people’s lives because it can show that we all share a similar environment and therefore we need to look out for each other.”
Watts viewed the theme more personally.
“Being self-aware and a little bit selfish can be a good thing, or rather paying attention to your own needs and health, but sometimes it is forgotten that there are more people surrounding you and that your choices or words could potentially alter another’s world. As college students, we are thrust into this place of higher learning with different points of view and people from all over the world, it is truly beautiful when people come together as a community to share, to learn, and to create,” she said.
Every year, the Kohl Gallery hosts a student art show, referred to as “100 Proof.” For information on “100 Proof” or “Expand Space/Share Place,” students can contact Dr. Katherine Markoski, director of the Kohl Gallery and lecturer in Art History, by email at kmarkoski2@washcoll.edu.