Sixty exhibitions comprise Alfred University School of Art & Design Senior 2023 Show

The exhibitions were held in Harder Hall, Binns-Merrill Hall, and the Cohen Center Studio on Main Street in the Village of Alfred. Media and genres included ceramics, painting, sculpture, neon, metal, photography, printmaking, video, sonic arts, interactive media, interactive graphic design, and drawing.

Family, friends, and members of the local and Alfred University communities visited campus for this popular annual event. Exhibitions were also available through a streaming video tour. This spring, three years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the senior shows returned to the festive feeling of years past. Hundreds of visitors— faculty, staff, families, community members, supporters and art lovers—moved through the exhibitions. The Zoom tour saw nearly 150 registrants over the course of the four-hour reception. 

“The class of 2023 were largely in their Foundations year in the spring of 2020,” commented Lauren Lake, dean of the Alfred University School of Art and Design + Performing Arts Division. “Despite the upheaval (caused by COVID), they persisted, with support from our dedicated faculty and staff, to produce excellent bodies of work from across media highlighting our unique multidisciplinary program.”

Unlike many arts programs which exhibit senior work as a small selection in a gallery, or on a rotating calendar throughout the spring, the School of Art and Design offers the opportunity for seniors to finish their study as they began it in Foundations, as a strong cohort.

Thanks to efforts made by faculty, technicians, and facilities staff, the transformation of space is remarkable. Classroom and studio spaces throughout the arts buildings are transformed into exhibition spaces over a few short days so the entire senior cohort can exhibit at the same time. Each senior exhibits in spacious and well-lit temporary galleries, allowing them to fully realize their work as individual artists.