Rowan College at Burlington County resumed its summer art exhibition in 2022 after a two-year interruption, presenting 84 works by 27 students, alumni and community artists.
The exhibition at the Mount Holly campus included photography, digital work, acrylic and oil painting, jewellery, sculpture, mixed media, watercolour and graphic design.
A broad exhibition rather than a single theme
Campus curator Jessica Kane assembled the works through visual relationships of colour, mood and form. The variety of media allowed visitors to move between established practices and techniques they might not otherwise encounter.
For alumni and community artists, the exhibition offered a route back into the college. For current students, it provided examples of how creative work could continue beyond a class or degree programme.
Kane described the opportunity to meet artists and learn about their methods as one of the exhibition’s strengths. The public reception allowed participants to discuss their inspirations and techniques directly.
Artistic learning through contact with others
The college also organised annual faculty and staff exhibitions. Seeing work by their teachers could change the way students understood both the classroom and the people guiding them.
Kane encouraged students to improve through contact with other artists rather than working in isolation. The summer display supported that idea by creating a setting for networking, comparison and conversation.
Family members sometimes discovered abilities they had not previously seen in the exhibiting artists. Their reactions reinforced the importance of giving developing practices a formal public setting.
The exhibition remained on view into the autumn term, allowing returning students to encounter the range of work as they came back to campus.