The fourth annual Carleton Community Art Exhibition opened to the public at the Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) on Jan. 13.
The exhibition features 250 works of art submitted by 148 Carleton alumni, faculty, and students, according to Katie Kendall, the exhibit curator and a Carleton art history graduate student.
She said the artwork came from people in a wide range of programs, from social sciences to engineering.
“There’s actually tons of creative people at Carleton, and they’re in all kinds of disciplines and departments,” Kendall said.
A reception was held at CUAG to open the exhibition, with Carleton president Roseann Runte as a keynote speaker.
Theo Burtick, a Carleton engineering alumnus, said he first heard about the exhibition online and decided to submit two sculptures inspired by ideas in physics. He said he had been creating sculptures since 2008 as a hobby during retirement, but he grew to become passionate about his art.
“I was a student in the 1970s, and I decided to come, of course,” Burtick said. “[This exhibition] is very important because it’s a meeting of the minds . . . I appreciate this show very much.”
Hillary Little, an attendee and a Carleton master’s student in architecture, came to see her friend’s art on display.
“It’s cool to see people who aren’t in art programs make art too,” Little said.
During her keynote speech, Runte talked about how difficult it is to share one’s artwork with others for fear of judgment. Runte thanked artists “for sharing a little bit of [themselves] and for having the courage to do it.”
Petra Amoako, a Carleton social work student, said she submitted her work to the exhibition because she wanted to “open up and get out of [her] shell.”
“[Art] is a way of expressing myself and integral to expressing my identity as well,” she said.
Amoako said she had been struggling with sharing her art with others and resolved to overcome that struggle this year.
“I want to leave some sort of legacy before I leave,” Amoako said. “Even though it’s just for one week, the fact that people are going to see this means a lot to me.”
Amoako added that she thinks the exhibition is great for featuring art from people who are not professional artists.
Kendall said the exhibition is a good opportunity for amateur artists to display their art in a professional gallery.
“I hope that people will be inspired by seeing all this art to make art themselves, to just open their world a little bit,” Kendall said.
In celebration of the exhibition, the CUAG also hosted a performance night on Jan. 19 featuring music and poetry performances from members of the Carleton community.
The community exhibition is not an annual event, and was last held in 2014. This year’s exhibition was timed to coincide with Carleton’s 75th anniversary celebrations. According to Sandra Dyck, the gallery’s director, there isn’t a current timeline for the next community exhibition, as the gallery has a lot of distinct exhibitions planned.
The exhibition will be on display at CUAG until Jan. 22.
– Photo by Meaghan Richens
