An oil painting of President Barack Obama hangs at the front of DVC’s art gallery, near a stoneware sculpture titled, “Enlightenment,” and a painting of a Buddhist monk.

The Obama piece, “A New Generation,” was painted by Jacques René, who said of his subject, “This is the reflections of a new generation. They represent our freedom, our struggles and our will.”

René’s painting is one of many pieces created within the past two semesters in DVC art classes and on display in the Student Art Show, which runs through May 12.

The show includes artwork from every sort of medium, including multimedia, watercolor, charcoal, acrylic, wire, string, oil paint, and more.

“[We have] everything from Buddha to Obama,” says Arthur Scott King, art gallery director.

Continuing towards the right into the gallery, a visitor notices jewelry, charcoal paintings, a sketching of Heath Ledger as the Joker and the ceramic sculpture of an old man’s head.

Nearby, a wire structure in the shape of what seems to be a human torso, created by Kathy Russo and titled, “Infinit Moment,” stands among paintings and a wire structure of a human hand.
In the far center of the gallery, pottery is surrounded by paintings and a multimedia slide show.

Next to it, an installation piece created with red strings hangs in the corner like a fluorescent spider web. To the side, the sculpture of a complacent-looking man stares back at the onlookers, small toy soldiers crawl from his head.

Left from the entrance, George Borawski looks at a detailed etching by Tom Norman, titled, “Tom the Bard and Company.”    

“It’s very detailed,” Borawski says. “He put a lot of work into it.”

Abstract paintings are also on display such as a piece using lots of pink without a title by Randy Stransberry.

Nearby, a piece titled, “Octopus,” resembles an octopus made of a wire frame, electrical tape and parts of balloons.

“Honestly, it’s amazing that people who go to school with me created this work,” says student Chase Zukauckas.

In addition to being in the show, the art pieces are in the running for the President’s Art Award and the possibility of being purchased for the DVC Permanent collection.

The winner of the award is chosen by a committee of students, staff, and administrators. Funding for the purchases come primarily from the DVC Foundation office and covers two to three pieces.

“We have had people lower their price just to be entered into the permanent collection,” King says.

But students are not obligated to sell their work.

“Sometimes a piece is too personal to sell,” King says.