The cool refreshing ocean breeze swept through the air Saturday night as Pepperdine’s Art RUSH club held its second annual student art show. More than 30 student artists showed their pieces on a large balcony overlooking Pacific Coast Highway and the Pacific Ocean at an office complex in Malibu.
The Art RUSH club was established this past spring by the vision and hard work of the club’s co-presidents senior art majors Dominique Ovalle and Gared Luquet. Both Ovalle and Luquet exhibited their work in the show.
Last semester because the first show was smaller the club hosted the event at a beach house in Malibu. It was so successful they decided to continue the idea this semester.
Ovalle said she feels the importance of this show was to help foster a creative community at Pepperdine.
“Pepperdine needs an art scene: they need more creative outlets Ovalle said. The art students get one event during their senior year and maybe the chance to put up their work in the HAWC or the Sandbar. Gared and I started events like this because we want to see the kids that aren’t typically seen as ‘the art kid’ be able to express themselves.”
The theme for this year’s show was PreSERVE a mix of two ideas that resonate with young adults of today especially Pepperdine students: “Our human need to make a legacy in this world – while living in a world that needs us – our resources our ideas our artistic vision claimed one of the show’s fliers.
Along with the Art RUSH club, the Student Programming Board helped host the event by assisting with the planning and the financial support needed for the event. The Inter-Club Council contributed $1,180 to the event, which helped purchase the supplies for the hand-built walls the club used to display the student art.
The toughest part about putting on an event like this for me is that this is kind of the first time the show has gone on – last time there were only 12 artists and this time there are 30 plus said Student Programming Board Arts Chair Susan Doe. So it was important to show who we are and what we are doing to get people to realize what type of community we are trying to create. It has to be well put together so people can realize how amazing the art is.”
Doe is a senior art and business double major and exhibited some of her photography work at the show as well.
The location for the show was the Westside Estate Agency which is located above the abandoned gas station between KFC and McDonalds on PCH. More than 1000 people attended the show.
The artwork included ceramics paintings sculptures and photography as well as unique items like furniture jewelry t-shirts and even handmade chessboards. Artists had the option of selling their work or simply displaying it. Money was collected from each artist to help provide a sampling of food and beverages for exhibition guests.
Many students at the show discussed the uniqueness of the art community at Pepperdine.
“In the Pepperdine art community we are all very interested in each other and helping others out said senior art major Ariana Long, who exhibited many of her watercolor works at the show. She said she also feels the art show was important because it invites others outside of the art major community in and brings people together.”
A variety of patrons came to the show including students faculty and Malibu residents. Even Seaver College president Andy Benton came to the show to offer his support to the students.
“Lots of the art at Pepperdine isn’t really discussed or put up to show said junior Martin Premoli, who came to view the artworks, so I wanted to see what students had to offer and see my friends’ work.”
Senior Sabrina Lovett worked as the curator for the show. She was in charge of organizing all of the artists and artworks and planning the layout of the space. Each artist submitted an artist “bio” and statement to go along with their artworks which Lovett also coordinated.
“I think the hardest part was managing the amount of space we had to work with – with lighting and the number of artists we had – so many more this year she said. We had to try and use the space to the maximum.”
Lovett also said she was very proud of the way the show turned out and enjoyed how the show’s “cool young vibe” attracted a range of age groups.
EllenAnne Harboe is a senior art major who was in charge of the lighting for the show as the exhibition space was outside and had no pre-existing lighting that was bright enough to light the art as a result a matrix of extension cords and utility lights was created for the night.
Harboe said that for her the event was “art at its best.” She focuses a lot of her artistic talent on ceramics and pottery and sold one of her pots at the art show.
As co-president Luquet offered his view as to why this event and events like it are essential for Pepperdine.
“This event is important for Pepperdine because the artists are like in their own little dungeon on the fourth floor [of the CAC] he said. It’s important for the art community to show that we can do this. We made it look so easy but it’s because we all worked so hard and we had each person contribute their own little talents.”
The Art RUSH club is planning on holding another art show next semester. Although most of the senior art majors will be wrapped up in getting their works completed for their senior exhibitions it still will have much to offer.