Lesley Louden, co-chair of the Art Photography Department, (left) and Janet Fine, photography laboratory technician and instructor, look at an acrylic painting by Hallie Holmes in Cabrillo College’s new student art exhibit “Art See,” funded through the COVID Relief Block Grant. (Nick Sestanovich — Santa Cruz Sentinel)
APTOS — In the fall of 2021, Cabrillo College reopened for in-person instruction after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic for more than a year. For many, it was an adjustment, but one thing is evident looking through the walls of the Accessibility Support Center and Student Activities Center West: There was no loss in students’ creativity during that time.
“Art See,” a four-year, grant-funded art program is a showcase of more than 70 student pieces that were financed through the COVID Relief Block Grant, a $120 million endowment consisting of $66.255 million from one-time Proposition 98 funds and $53.975 million from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund to be used for California community colleges.
The grant was procured by Claire Thorson, chair of the Art Studio Department; Lesley Louden, co-chair of the Art Photography Department; and Janet Fine, photography laboratory technician and instructor.
“We applied for a multiyear grant … to reengage students to come back to campus and learn professional skills such as showing their work for possibly the first time, building some of those professional presentation skills as artists and then we wanted to do outreach within the community for access to more arts education,” said Louden.
Another goal of the exhibit is to beautify some previously unadorned spaces with student artwork. One space was near the president and vice president’s offices in SAC West.
“The walls were blank,” said Louden. “When we came in on the weekend to put up the images, it completely transformed the space. Monday morning when they came in, they were filled with the presence of artwork that brought the walls to life.”
A team of three students and three faculty narrowed down the selections. The exhibit was open to any student enrolled at Cabrillo, although the pieces did not need to be created at the school or for a class.
“We wanted to be really open and let them put what they most were proud of,” said Fine.
The artwork was created in a variety of different media: paintings, drawings, ceramics, photography, jewelry, sculptures, digital art and more. The pieces capture everything from natural landscapes to human figures.
Some pieces are humorous. “La Gallina de Flor” is a photo by Julian Sumano that captures a plush chicken smiling and looking up at the camera while lying on a bed of flowers.
Other works depict nature. Taylor Bearden’s “New Year” shows an elephant seal opening its mouth on a beach while a wave crashes in the background. Leah Zucker’s “Monochrome Menagerie” is an ink pen drawing collage of several black and white animals, such as a zebra, giant panda, tapir, orca and skunk.
Several of the pieces focus on social commentary and students’ identities. “Girlfriends” by Hallie Holmes is a colorful acrylic of two girls embracing in the water, “Overwhelmed” by Asher Gonzalez is a mixed media collage with words and images that capture the transgender experience today and “Dia de los Muertos” by Jasmine Mercado Escalante is a pigment print with a woman wearing Catrina makeup.
“Definitely now more than ever, it seems important to have a venue for people to express their identity,” said Fine. “In these challenging times, it’s such a positive thing. The different experiences come out, and I think people benefit from seeing the diversity of our student body in all kinds of ways.”
John Graulty, dean of visual and performing arts, praised the show in a statement.
“The Covid pandemic put the entire world in isolation from one another, and it was felt heavily at Cabrillo College,” he wrote. “What better way to celebrate human connections and make students feel welcome again on campus than to celebrate student artists by festooning our campus public spaces with student art that makes students engage with the art and each other in new ways, post-Covid. ”
Louden said the exhibit was a good way to give students confidence that their work is valued not only at Cabrillo but the Santa Cruz region.
“That’s a major arts location for our country,” she said. “Santa Cruz is really known for its arts.”
Fine said the show also helps to promote the arts as a core subject for community college students.
“Our art department … is so well-known in the community and such a jewel,” she said. “It’s always nice to have a voice as arts being core to people’s education as well as mental well-being. I think this helps with that.”
Louden said it would also help students in other fields.
“We don’t know what jobs will be like in the future, but we know that people want the kind of skills you get from taking creative courses such as critical thinking, creative problem solving, practical use of hands-on skills you learn in math and science and design and engineering,” she said. “This just reinforces the importance of the arts in education.”
“Art See” will be on display through May 3. Once the exhibit has completed its run, the works will be displayed in two new locations for the 2024-25 academic year. An artists’ reception will be held 4-5 p.m. at SAC West and 5-6 p.m. at the Accessibility Support Center on Wednesday at Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos.
