The Kauffman Gallery in Huber Arts Center features student art in a new exhibition. It focuses on overcoming distance learning, learning a new medium and adapting to using only the available programs.

The exhibition “Bitmap & Vector” features work from Computer Design 101 and 102 students who worked remotely during the spring 2021 semester.  Many students worked with limited resources and free or inexpensive programs such as Procreate, an image editing software program. The gallery opened on Aug. 23 with a small reception for guests and administration to attend and meet those who helped put the show together.

The designs are all based on concepts and prompts given to students. For example, a piece by Cheyenne Bass was based off the prompt “Oppression.” Many pieces are based in certain locations giving almost a postcard look to many of them. While others have beautiful and shocking imagery with prompts like “the ides of March.”

Will Whiteley, chair of the SU Department of Art & design and the person who put the exhibition together, was there opening night. Whitely explained that even the logo for the show features a fusion of the two file types symbolizing how students had to mix and match. Whiteley said about the students’ experience, “We had to find ways to accommodate the learning with what the students had available.”

One artist, junior Sarah Lieberman, described how the process of creating the pieces in the class went.

“It was an interesting experience because we only had one class a week, so it was more of a explore the programs on your own and create something,” Lieberman said.

She added that students would receive a theme to work around but would still have plenty of creative freedom. Lieberman credits her roommate and shows she was watching at the time for much of her inspiration.

Taking these unorthodox approaches and learning to harness them is what this gallery seeks to show. For many of the artists, this was their first chance to have their work in a live gallery.

The Kauffman Gallery will be hosting “Bitmap & Vector” through Oct. 20 in the Huber Art Center. For more information, including gallery hours, call the Art and Design office at 717-477-1530.

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