A Celebration of Artistic Expression in a Virtual Gallery

Graduating BSU Seniors Use Their Artwork as a Visual Reflection

MEDIA CONTACT: Damita Chambers, dchambers@bowiestate.edu, 301-832-2628 mobile

(BOWIE, Md.) – As students and educators around the globe are trying to find new ways to work through the COVID-19 pandemic, art faculty at Bowie State University are celebrating graduating seniors with an interactive exhibition of their artwork – in an inaugural virtual art gallery.

Twelve seniors in the fine arts, studio art concentration, and visual communication and digital media arts (VCDMA) programs are exhibiting their thesis projects in a newly designed virtual gallery, presenting visual reflections of self-discovery, affirmation, self-care and cultural enlightenment. The students’ personal experiences and observations are expressed through film, advertising design, fashion, digital media arts and photography.

Usually, the graduating seniors in the art programs participate in an exhibition in the university’s Gallery of Fine Arts, with an opening reception and opportunity for the students to engage directly with people visiting the gallery. Because of stay-at-home orders and a move to remote learning, the possibility of a traditional gallery exhibition was abandoned. In some cases, the students had to adjust the scope of their artwork to a new reality.

Instead, the Department of Fine & Performing Art launched a virtual gallery experience that provides a platform for students to showcase their creative expression and potentially reach a much larger audience.

Janell B. Pryor, gallery curator, said that the development of the virtual exhibition is a roadmap for how other on-site exhibitions could be presented online to introduce more people to the gallery’s exhibitions and to attract more visitors. The Gallery of Fine Art usually hosts at least two exhibitions per year, in addition to student art showcases.

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.