{"id":450,"date":"2017-08-07T01:56:56","date_gmt":"2017-08-07T01:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/art\/?page_id=450"},"modified":"2026-03-10T20:01:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T20:01:49","slug":"past-exhibitions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/art\/gallery\/past-exhibitions\/","title":{"rendered":"Past Exhibitions"},"content":{"rendered":"

SPRING 2026<\/h3>\n
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WCSU Art Faculty Exhibition<\/h1>\n

February 5 \u2013 March 8, 2026<\/h2>\n

OPENING RECEPTION:
\nThursday, Feb 5, 6:00\u20138:00pm<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Gallery at the Visual & Performing Arts Center
\nWCSU, Westside Campus
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Gallery Hours:<\/strong>
\nTues\u2013Fri, noon\u20134pm, Sat\u2013Sun, 1\u20134 pm<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n

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This exhibition will feature new work by the talented visual artists who comprise the faculty of the Department of Art at WCSU. A variety of media and styles will be represented, reflecting the breadth of expertise our instructors lend to the various degree programs offered by the department, including Graphic Design, Illustration, Painting, and Photography.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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FALL 2025<\/h3>\n
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SIN INDIFERENCIA:
\nMexican art and objects 1956\u20131973
\n<\/em>from the WCSU Archives\u2019 Collection<\/em><\/h1>\n

October 2 \u2013 December 7, 2025<\/h2>\n

OPENING RECEPTION:
\nThursday<\/strong>, Oct 2, 6:00\u20138:00pm<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Gallery at the Visual & Performing Arts Center
\nWCSU, Westside Campus
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Gallery Hours:<\/strong>
\nTues\u2013Fri, noon\u20134pm, Sat\u2013Sun, 1\u20134 pm<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n

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This exhibition of WestConn's Mexican art and objects from 1956-1973 compels us to consider the theme of \"otherness\" through the lens of Mexican modernism, provenance, ancient aesthetics, and the power of art to bridge cultural divides. \"Sin Indiferncia\" or \"Without Indifference\" is the title of a sculpture in this exhibit by Mexican artist, Herbert Hofmann-Ysenbourg, and speaks to how WCSU looked past otherness and came to possess and preserve these objects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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SUMMER 2025<\/h3>\n
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Western Connecticut State University
\nat Blue Mountain Gallery<\/h1>\n

2025 MFA Thesis Exhibition
\nJune 17 \u2013 July 5, 2025<\/h1>\n

OPENING RECEPTION:<\/strong>
\nThursday, June 19, 5:00\u20138:00pm<\/h2>\n

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The Department of Art at Western Connecticut State University is pleased to announce the 2025 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition at Blue Mountain Gallery, 547 West 27th<\/sup> Street, Suite 200, New York, NY.<\/p>\n

An opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 19, from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibition will run from June 17 through July 5, 2025. The gallery is open for viewing 11 am to 6 pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays.<\/p>\n

The \u00a0MFA Thesis Exhibition is the capstone experience of WCSU\u2019s Department of Art\u2019s Graduate Program. MFA degrees are available in Painting, Illustration, and Interdisciplinary Visual Art. The exhibition is supported by the Jason and Ellen Hancock Student Endowment Fund at WCSU. Six MFA graduates will present their work:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Tony DeZinno \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Andrea McLaughlin<\/p>\n

Jilian Mirabal \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Joseph Nolan<\/p>\n

Cristina Querrer \u00a0 \u00a0Shay Winslow | Sluggo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

SPRING 2025<\/h3>\n
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2025 Senior Portfolio Exhibition<\/h1>\n

April 24 \u2013 May 11, 2025<\/h2>\n

OPENING RECEPTION:
\nSaturday<\/strong>, April 26, 2:00\u20134:00pm<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Gallery at the Visual & Performing Arts Center
\nWCSU, Westside Campus
\n<\/span><\/h4>\n
Gallery Hours:<\/strong>
\nTues\u2013Fri, noon\u20134pm, Sat\u2013Sun, 1\u20134 pm<\/h5>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

The WCSU Department of Art presents the Senior Portfolio Exhibition each spring as a capstone experience for students pursuing the B.A. in Art in one of four areas of concentration: graphic design, illustration, photography and studio art: painting. This year\u2019s exhibition will feature four art majors with a concentration in graphic design, four in illustration, and seven in studio arts: painting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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To learn more read the WCSU\u00a0Press Release<\/a><\/p>\n

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Graphic Design<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mia Grossman
\nKellie Jackson
\nKaitlynn Parra
\nChristopher Torres<\/p>\n

Illustration<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ian Clifford
\nOlivia Escalera
\nPhoebe Fleetwood
\nAngus Wong<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Studio Art: Painting<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iloisa Barros-Barbosa
\nShanice Brown
\nMia Crawford
\nCarla LaFlamme, BFA
\nJulia Paddock
\nLaura Sosa
\nKris Trenck, BFA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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2025 MFA Thesis Exhibition<\/h1>\n

March 27 \u2013 April 13, 2025<\/h3>\n

Opening Reception<\/strong>: Thurs, March 27, 2025
\n6:00\u20138:00 pm<\/h5>\n

\nTHE GALLERY<\/strong> at the Visual & Performing Arts Center
\nWestern Connecticut State University
\n<\/strong>Westside Campus, 43 Lake Ave Extension, Danbury, CT 06811
\nGallery Hours: <\/strong>Tues\u2013Fri, 12\u20134, Sat\u2013Sun, 1\u20134<\/h5>\n

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The Master of Fine Arts is the terminal degree for practicing, professional artists. The MFA Thesis Exhibition is the capstone experience of the graduate program, demonstrating a personal direction and mastery in the work of the artists. Six graduate students will present their thesis work this year:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Tony DeZinno \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Andrea McLaughlin<\/p>\n

Jilian Mirabal \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Joseph Nolan<\/p>\n

Cristina Querrer \u00a0 \u00a0Shay Winslow | Sluggo<\/p>\n

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To learn more read the WCSU Press Release<\/a><\/p>\n

View the 2025 WCSU MFA Catalog<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Color and Light<\/em><\/h1>\n

On view Feb 6 \u2013 March 2, 2025<\/h3>\n

Closing Reception<\/strong>:<\/h4>\n

Sun, Mar 2, 2025, 12:00\u20132:00 pm<\/h4>\n

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Fritz Horstman<\/a><\/h5>\n
Anne Lindberg<\/a><\/h5>\n
Greg Lock<\/a><\/h5>\n
Pete Mauney<\/a><\/h5>\n
Colleen McGuire<\/a><\/h5>\n
Julia Rooney<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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This exhibition\u2019s focus is as simple as the title suggests: six artists explore the interaction of color and the phenomenon of light, considerations that have captivated and challenged visual artists throughout history, even as the tools and techniques of creating art have expanded. This multi-media exhibition includes works in painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, cyanotype, animation, virtual environments, and video. The gathered artists explore color and light relationships of pure pigment, as well as highlight the manner in which natural, industrial, simulated, and digital incidences of light and color influence and infiltrate our daily lives and shop our experiences in both obvious and inconspicous ways.<\/p>\n

The gallery\u2019s exhibition shares its title with a song performed in Act I of Stephen Sondheim\u2019s musical, Sunday in the Park with George, which highlights the creation of post-Impressionist painter George Seurat\u2019s 1884 masterpiece, \u201cA Sunday on La Grande Jatte.\u201d The musical will be presented by WCSU\u2019s Department of Theatre Arts Feb. 21 \u2013 March 2. Seurat\u2019s preoccupation with understanding optics and perception via the artistic process holds just as true for visual artists today.<\/p>\n

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FALL 2024<\/h3>\n
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Meticulous<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Methodical Approaches to Making Art\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

On view Oct 24\u2013Dec 8, 2024<\/h3>\n

Opening Reception<\/strong>:
\nThurs, Oct 24, 2024, 6:00\u20138:00 pm<\/h3>\n


\nTHE GALLERY<\/strong> at the Visual & Performing Arts Center
\nWestern Connecticut State University
\n<\/strong>Westside Campus, 43 Lake Ave Extension, Danbury, CT 06811
\nGallery Hours: <\/strong>Tues\u2013Fri, 12\u20134, Sat\u2013Sun, 1\u20134<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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This exhibit gathers artists who have a methodical approach to creating art as an aspect of their practice, employing specific systematic procedures, processes, and techniques in the act of creation. These approaches may lead the artist to utilize distinctive media or introduce distinct parameters to their practice, whether in the initial conception of an artwork or in the physical act of making. The methodology may or may not be conscious or by design; in either case it contributes to a compulsory, organic process that is unique to the artist. Participating artists work in a variety of media including assemblage, drawing, printmaking, painting, textiles, sculpture, and ceramics.<\/p>\n

Darlene Charneco has developed a ritual process to create her pieces using hammered nails that create a tactile carpet of \u201chopes, wishes, and aspirations.\u201d Kathy Greenwood works with salvaged textiles from her home and family life, painstakingly knotting and weaving scraps into new, fortified structures that harken to their previous domestic existence. Inspired by nature, Michiyo Ihara\u2019s abstract pen and ink drawings metaphorically explore the dynamic yet transient nature of existence itself. Nathan Meltz uses experimental printmaking techniques that depict industrial and mechanical imagery in his multi-media works, highlighting technology\u2019s ever-encroaching role in society. Aliyah Salmon has embraced the \u201cslow craft\u201d technique of hand tufted rug hooking, where she combines culturally relevant symbols from the Black\/Caribbean community that reframe simplistic narratives of Black American femininity. Christopher Werner mines his own collection of studio, workshop, household, and other objects to create a personal nomenclature that he catalogues and categorizes in assemblage and sculpture.<\/p>\n

An opening reception is scheduled for 6 p.m. on<\/strong> Thursday, Oct. 24. <\/strong>at The Gallery at the Visual & Performing Arts Center, WCSU, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday 12-4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 1- 4 p.m. Admission to the reception and exhibition is free and open to the public; donations to support the programs of the Department of Art will be accepted. Reservations to attend the opening reception should be made online at www.wcsuvpac.eventbrite.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Darlene Charneco<\/strong><\/p>\n

Born in New York City, Darlene Charneco is a contemporary LatinX artist whose\u00a0mixed-media artworks explore people, networks, homes, and communities as part of a larger organism\u2019s growth stage. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States at venues including the Katonah Museum, the Hunterdon Museum, The Islip Art Museum, and the Parrish Art Museum and is featured in the book \u2018The Map as Art: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography\u2019 by Katherine Harmon.\u00a0 She was awarded the 2017 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and is represented by PRAXIS, NYC.\u00a0Charneco lives and works on the East End of Long Island. Her art is part of the Guild Hall and Parrish Museums permanent\u00a0collections and she has created several large-scale commissions for private and national collections in Washington DC.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Kathy Greenwood<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kathy Greenwood is an artist and curator. Since 2016, she has served as the Director of Exhibitions and Programs at Albany International Airport \u2013 a public art program recognized nationally for the quality and scope of its presentations. Greenwood curates exhibitions for the Airport\u2019s dedicated galleries, guides the selection and installation of numerous large-scale site-specific projects throughout the terminal, and coordinates multiple satellite museum exhibitions. She has been a guest speaker, juror, co-curator and contributor to many exhibitions and events in the Northeast region and throughout the US.\u00a0Greenwood earned an MFA in textiles from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a BS in Studio Art from the College of Saint Rose. Her paintings and sculptures are based in the structure and character of domestic textiles and the associations they invoke.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Michiyo Ihara<\/strong><\/p>\n

Japanese-born artist Michiyo Ihara uses only paper and pencil or pen and ink to create artwork that expresses the complexity of the universe, inviting viewers into a world where a plant's delicate beauty intertwines with the human spirit's ever-changing nature. Through meticulously crafted drawings, she creates a visual narrative that explores the profound connection between the fleeting moments of blossoming flowers and the evolving essence of the soul. Ihara lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Nathan Meltz<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nathan Meltz is the founder and curator of the Screenprint Biennial, celebrating its 10th<\/sup> anniversary with an exhibition at the Janet Turner Print Museum in Chico, CA through Dec. 13. He is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY. Meltz earned his MFA at the University of Albany in 2010 and uses collage, printmaking, animation and other graphic arts to comment on the ubiquitous presence of technology in contemporary life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Aliyah Salmon<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aliyah Salmon earned her BFA in textile design from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2018 and currently resides and works in Brooklyn, NY. Her artistic focus investigates the intricate crossroads of black femininity and the Afro-Caribbean diaspora in contemporary America. Through textiles and collage, her work challenges and reframes simplistic narratives surrounding Black identity, while delving into themes like isolation, childhood, and the subconscious. Utilizing traditional textile methods like hand tufting with an Oxford punch needle and bead embroidery alongside modern materials and collage techniques, Salmon embraces \u201cslow craft\u201d to construct dream-like compositions featuring tufted depictions of symbols, products, and culturally significant items from the Black\/Caribbean community, serving as shorthand for broader discussions on black femininity, hair politics, and diasporic experiences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Christopher Werner<\/strong><\/p>\n

Christopher Werner grew up in Columbia County New York, where being in nature and working in his father\u2019s construction business imbued him with a profound, experiential love for materials and process. He holds a BFA in Sculpture and Drawing from SUNY Purchase, and a BS in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned the Coonley Prize. Werner utilizes the synergistic benefits of these two disciplines in his studio practice, and as the Director of Engineering at Ecovative (Green Island NY), a mushroom mycelium technology company. He has been artist in residence at Rural Projects (Gallatin NY), GREEN Projects (New Orlean<\/p>\n

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Lisa Elmaleh: Tierra Prometida
\n<\/i>Jessica Wolff: The New Mestiza<\/i><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Two Photographers Depict Stories of Migration and Immigration<\/em><\/h3>\n

On view Sept 12\u2013Oct 13, 2024<\/h3>\n

Opening Reception<\/strong>:
\nThurs, Sept 12, 2024, 6:00\u20138:00 pm<\/h3>\n


\nTHE GALLERY<\/strong> at the Visual & Performing Arts Center
\nWestern Connecticut State University
\n<\/strong>Westside Campus, 43 Lake Ave Extension, Danbury, CT 06811
\nGallery Hours: <\/strong>Tues\u2013Fri, 12\u20134, Sat\u2013Sun, 1\u20134<\/p>\n

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Lisa Elmaleh is a 2024 Guggenheim Fellow. Her photographic series,\u00a0Tierra\u00a0Prometida,\u00a0<\/i>captures the multifaceted aspects of migration at the border between the United States and Mexico. Created with a 1930s-era large format camera, her work encompasses the people, landscape, migratory routes, and humanitarian efforts there. While conveying both empathy and urgency, the series challenges the myth of the American Dream from the perspective of the borderland environs, the individuals seeking asylum in the United States, and the volunteers and groups involved in providing essential assistance to migrants.<\/p>\n

Jessica Wolff's photographs delve into the experience of being Mexican-American and navigating the dynamics of two cultures that often clash or contradict each other. Embracing the term \"mestizos\" (of mixed race), Jessica acknowledges her and her subjects' Indigenous and Spanish ancestry. Using symbols and icons from both Mexican and American history, she creates a fusion that represents a new culture, new myths, new icons, and new images, where there is no longer a strict division between Mexican and American identities, but rather the emergence of a new mestiza culture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Book Discussion Group<\/span>
\n<\/span>The Other Side <\/span><\/em><\/strong>by Juan Pablo Villalobos<\/span><\/h2>\n

WCSU Library \/ The Gallery at VPAC<\/h3>\n

Sign up at Haas and Young libraries or in The Gallery
\nBooks are available at Haas and Young libraries.<\/h4>\n

Supplemental readings: Solito<\/em> by Javier Zamora
\nBorderlands\/La Frontera<\/em>: The New Mestiza<\/em> by Gloria Anzaldua<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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Art Exhibit Viewing \/ Book Discussion<\/strong>
\nMonday, Oct 7, 2024, 6:00 p.m. \u20137:15 pm<\/strong><\/h3>\n

View the exhibit from 6:00 to 6:20, then discuss the book(s).
\nRefreshments included!<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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SUMMER 2024<\/h3>\n
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2024 MFA Thesis Exhibition in NYC<\/h3>\n
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Blue Mountain Gallery<\/a>
\nMay 18 \u2013 June 7, 2024<\/h3>\n

547 West 27th Street, Suite 200
\nNew York, New York
\n(646) 486-4730<\/p>\n

Gallery hours: Tuesday\u2013Saturday, 11:00\u20136:00 pm<\/h5>\n


\nOPENING RECEPTION<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Thursday, June 20, 5:00\u20138:00 pm<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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The <\/span>Department of Art<\/a><\/span>\u00a0at\u00a0<\/span>Western Connecticut State University<\/a><\/span>\u00a0is pleased to announce the 2024 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition at\u00a0<\/span>Blue Mountain Gallery<\/a><\/span>, 547 West 27th Street, Suite 200, New York, NY. <\/span>An opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibition will run from June 18 through July 6, 2024. The gallery is open for viewing 11 am to 6 pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays.<\/span><\/h4>\n
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The \u00a0MFA Thesis Exhibition is the capstone experience of WCSU\u2019s Department of Art\u2019s Graduate Program. MFA degrees are available in Painting, Illustration, and Interdisciplinary Visual Art. The exhibition is supported by the Jason and Ellen Hancock Student Endowment Fund at WCSU. Six MFA graduates will present their work:<\/p>\n


\nAmy Caco<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>is an Albanian-American illustrator born in Waterbury, CT. Working in a variety of mediums, including colored pencil, watercolor, ink, and digital, she continually explores new materials and methods. Her work is delicate and vulnerable, often influenced by fantasy and folklore, and recently incorporating poetry. \u201cThe work should speak for itself,\u201d Amy has said, \u201cbut sometimes there are just some things that I want to say.\u201d She values beauty and decorative elements in illustration, while still conveying a sense of mystery and symbolism. In her artist statement, she writes, \u201cI want to experience the world through someone else\u2019s eyes, the same way I want someone to look at my art and understand me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amy earned a BA degree in Illustration from WCSU and has been a Graduate Teaching Assistant in undergraduate illustration courses. Her artwork has been published and exhibited in Danbury and Ridgefield, CT, and she works as a freelance artist with private clients. In 2022 and 2023, she was commissioned to paint two large murals for the Great Hollow Nature Preserve in New Fairfield, CT.\u00a0@aviiamy<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Lucy Gallagher<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>is an artist from Waterbury, CT. She received her BA in Studio Art from WCSU. Her artistic practices include paintings, works on paper, and sculpture. They are a direct reflection of her life, both past and present. Lucy has worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in several art courses, including painting and printmaking. In her own words, she \u201cis inspired by the creative energy that flows through each of us and the importance of nurturing that flame.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucy\u2019s work has been shown in CT galleries, including Alix Gallery in Waterbury and Art in Common Gallery in Ridgefield. Her work was also included in \u201cHuman Connection\u201d, a group exhibition curated at the Danbury Fair Mall in 2023. In her artist statement, she writes, \u201cI have this insatiable desire to figure out my identity through creating. My work focuses on moments from my past that remain in my internal narrative, invade my dreams, and constantly remind me that I am human. I embrace the inspiration that comes from my observed world and from within. In response, I create my fantastical truth through the use of color, light, and line.\u201d\u00a0@artbylucy_27<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Taylor Green<\/span><\/strong>, from Waterbury and Danbury, CT, received a BA in Anthropology and Sociology from WCSU, with a minor in Studio Art. She is a visual anthropologist who attempts to not only observe the world around her, but to understand it through creation. Her artwork stems from the human experience of wonder and exploration, as well as research and advocacy. Taylor\u2019s paintings are strongly influenced by her background in social science and social justice; not only painting about humanitarian crises, but more broadly about human experience. Additionally, she is a curator who believes that art can bring people together to spark important conversations.<\/p>\n

Taylor\u2019s paintings have been shown at Art in Common Gallery, Ridgefield, CT. During the past year, she has been a Graduate Assistant in The Gallery at the Visual & Performing Arts Center. In summer 2023, she was invited by the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut to guest curate a group exhibition at the Danbury Fair Mall, which she entitled \u201cHuman Connection.\u201d \u00a0@art.by.green<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Andrew Mark<\/span><\/strong>, an illustrator and designer based in Hudson Valley, New York, \u00a0 graduated from Marist College with a BS degree in Digital Media. He typically works in digital illustration, as well as acrylic painting, and pen and ink. His work consists of bright colors and bold outlines reminiscent of animation and comic books, with a focus on character design. In his artist statement, he writes, \u201cI am a passionate storyteller, building entire worlds from scratch and breathing life into characters I create. I enjoy introducing fun and zany characters that are familiar, yet out of this world. My subjects are influenced by folklore and mythology, as well as graffiti art. I also draw much of my inspiration from life experience, particularly within my heritage of being a fourth-generation Chinese-American, and of being bilingual and bicultural.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew grew up going to anime and comic book conventions through his family\u2019s import toy business, a key influence on his art studies and art career. Andrew is the founder of Kalun Studios, a lifestyle brand dedicated to producing unique, upbeat designs. He has also created work for a variety of clients, including colleges, dining services, local businesses, and festivals.\u00a0@akmartist<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

William John Parrott III<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is an interdisciplinary artist who utilizes a multitude of processes that draw inspiration from his background in photography, painting, printmaking, spray painting, sculpture, and collage. He was born in Waterbury and resides in Naugatuck, CT. He earned his B.A. in Photography from WCSU. In his artist statement, he writes, \u201cProcess is what really drives me in the creation of my art. Using traditional tools in unorthodox and unusual ways to achieve specific marks, indentations, brush strokes, and more, is what helps me set my work apart from the traditional. Getting deeply in touch with the processes I use allows me to enter the state of flow of creation where my hands seem to work on their own, but the touch is still mine. . . This is my method, and where I draw my energy to create.\u201d<\/p>\n

William has worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the photography department at WCSU, as well as a Graduate Assistant in The Gallery at the Visual & Performing Arts Center. His work has been exhibited in several galleries, including Art In Common Gallery in Ridgefield.\u00a0@wjp_studioworks<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Denise Rosa<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0of Danbury, CT, is a painter who received her BA degree in Studio Art from WCSU. Her current work is primarily portraiture, some self-portraits, and others of people close to her. Her artist statement reveals much about her painting: \u201cI was born in Brazil and proudly became a U.S. citizen in 2004. My life experience has taught me the importance of balancing reality with a spirit of hope. I am inspired by stories of people who have crossed my life. My landscapes and figurative oil paintings translate memories and recreate those narratives. My work is instinctual, allowing my inner child to express feelings. Light, color, and texture are important elements. There is always a message to be revealed through the viewer\u2019s interpretation. I believe in the power of diversity and creative viewpoints, pushing me to be flexible as an artist and human being.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the summer of 2022, Denise was awarded a scholarship to study at the Rome Art Program in Italy. Her work has been shown in various exhibitions, including a mural project in 2022 at the Danbury Fair Mall, where her painting is now in its permanent collection. In March - April 2024, a solo exhibit of her paintings was held at the Danbury Public Library in CT.\u00a0@denise_rosa_arts<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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\nSupported by the Jason and Ellen Hancock Student Endowment<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

For more information, read the Press Release<\/a> at WCSU in the News, or contact the WCSU Department of Art at (203) 837-8403.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

SPRING 2024<\/h3>\n
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WCSU 2024 STUDENT ART SHOWCASE
\nMay 18 \u2013 June 7, 2024<\/h3>\n

Gallery hours are Tue\u2013Fri, 12:00\u20134:00 pm, and Sat\u2013Sun, 1:00\u20134:00<\/h5>\n


\nOPENING RECEPTION & AWARDS CEREMONY
\n<\/span>Saturday, May 18, 2-4 pm<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Western CT State University and the Cultural Alliance of Western CT presents the inaugural Student Art Showcase. High School Students in grades 9-12 were invited to submit artwork entries for this juried exhibition at The Gallery at the Visual and Performing Arts Center<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Seventy-seven artworks were selected for the exhibition from the student entries of eighteen High Schools throughout Connecticut.<\/b> The top selected artists were featured and presented with special recognition and awards at the opening reception on May 18th. In selecting artwork for the exhibit, the jury was looking for overall artistic excellence. In determining the presence of artistic excellence, the following were considered heavily: creativity and originality, quality of artistic composition and overall design, interpretation and clarity of the theme to the viewer, the overall impression of the artwork.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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WCSU celebrates the students contributions as a way to encourage the development of young artists as they prepare to investigate the arts in a college setting. The inaugural event hosted by WCSU seeks to provide a forum for young artists to be included in a gallery exhibition as a means to inspire continued and renewed efforts for creation of art. The arts cannot be overstated for their benefit to each generation of creatives who seek expression and engagement with a proven crucial communicating exercise that sparks numerous healthy community and professional connections. WCSU welcomes these young artists who aspire to creative heights.<\/p>\n

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For more information read the Press Release<\/a> at WCSU in the News.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1st Place Overall Winner - Amaia Potashner \u2013 Grade 9, William H. Hall High School<\/h3>\n
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2nd Place Overall Winner - Grey Pomeroy \u2013 Grade 12, Shepaug Valley High School<\/h3>\n
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3rd Place Overall Winner \u2013 Marianna Sousa \u2013 Grade 11, Danbury High School<\/h3>\n
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Congratulations to the HS students selected for the Showcase Exhibition!<\/h3>\n
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