Rebekah Marin, Liberal Arts Major with a concentration in English

Could you imagine SMCC without its art department? To celebrate the SMCC Fine Arts Program’s 10th birthday, nearly 30 active faculty members are showcasing their work in the Lewis Gallery at the Portland Public Library. The Art department offers classes ranging from printmaking and painting, to metalworking, and woodworking.

The pieces in the show were a delightful representation of the talent that the SMCC Fine Arts professors posses. As soon as I walked down the staircase into the gallery, a video called “Bulls Eye” caught my eye. The video, produced by Jeff Badger and Brett Plymale, showed a series of arrows stuck into bullseyes on a number of trees in the woods. As I stood watching the video transition from one tree to another, while birds peacefully chirped in the background, I found myself wondering what the ultimate purpose of the video would be. To my surprise, the end of the video showed an archer, played by Jeff Badger, shooting his arrow into a tree, then walking up to it and drawing a bullseye around the arrow. Although my first reaction was to let out a chuckle, I quickly grasped the message. I saw it as an ode to success and deception, and how they often go hand in hand.

I found Shannon Googins’ work to be particularly captivating. Four white wooden boxes with plexiglass fronts were fixed on a wall in a line. The first box had braided rope assembled, as it would look when it is ready to be used. Each box following had the rope unbraided a little bit more, until the last box held strands so small and pulled apart it looked like yellow strands of hair.

I admired that Googins took an object not normally recognized as beautiful or unique and transformed it into such an aesthetically pleasing piece of artwork. The progression of the rope showed varying textures and the color of the rope seemed to brighten as it became more separated. I walked away from this piece with a new appreciation for the many underrepresented, useful and complex items that are a part of everyday life.

As a college student who is constantly wishing away this time in my life, I found Tyler Gulden’s “Serving Tray” particularly pleasing. His gorgeous piece of stoneware had me yearning for a kitchen of my own where the tray could be on display. The salt and soda fired tray was an array of blues, greens, and tan with a subtle sparkle that I was silently swooning over. Aside from wishing I could take the tray home with me to my imaginary kitchen, I found myself admiring the craftsmanship. Being an unskilled potter myself, I appreciated the sturdiness of the piece and the small details that made it unique like the curvature of the tray at each end.

The exhibition will remain open free of charge to the public at the Portland Public Library through September 27th.