Dear Editor,

I had the pleasure of attending and participating in the Small Works Exhibition, hosted by the Nohr Gallery in Ullsvik Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 26. 

Generally, with art exhibitions, there is a Call for Entries when the gallery asks for artists to send in work that matches the parameters of the show. Then pieces are either accepted or declined for the show,  and the artists begin bringing their submissions into the gallery. The gallery will then open with a reception where anyone can come and see the work that was accumulated and accepted from the Call for Entries. 

The Small Works Exhibition was a quick turnaround, meaning artists had less time to create and submit work for the show. The only requirement for submission is that the work must be under two feet in all directions. Artists must be either students or graduates of UW-Platteville. 

I submitted two etching prints from early 2022 and was accepted into the show. From there, I took my prints to the gallery a week and a half before the show and went to the exhibition on Wednesday. 

I have gone to see shows hosted by the Nohr before, but this was the first one that included my artwork. It was enjoyable to see all the work that had been accepted into the show. Since the parameters of the Call for Entries were so broad, there were art pieces of many media types. Some alumni of UW-Platteville submitted wood sculptures, prints, oil paintings or egg tempera paintings. It was fascinating to see how the alumni artists were using more advanced ideals in their art, though maintaining a similar overall artistic process to current students.

Meanwhile, my classmates submitted works that were prints, acrylic paintings or ceramic ware and sculptures. It was certainly interesting to see how the Gallery Director and Attendants decided to arrange everything. All the pieces in the gallery seemed to work well together, passing the audience from one piece to the next, regardless of the level of experience of the artist or how long they had been creating works.

During the reception, I got to walk around and mingle with other artists in the show, as well as other students and community members who were visiting. The general conversation topics were about the pieces, with emphasis on how artistic effects were achieved by specific pieces. I loved talking with everyone about the way they went about creating their works and how it was different from the person next to them.

The overall experience of being in the show and attending the reception was educational. Socializing with my peers also proved relieve some of the anxiety I felt by showing up at the reception alone. Since most of the gathered audience came with the intention of viewing art and chatting with others, it was easy and fun to engage in conversations with one another. I am very glad I made the last-minute decision to enter this show.

Sincerely,

Morgan Fuerstenberg