PVCC Gallery Celebrates Opening of the 2026 Student Art Exhibition
On the warm spring evening of April 17, around 45 parents, friends, artists, and other members of the PVCC community strolled around the PVCC Gallery on the third floor of the Dickinson building, stopping every few feet to admire the next piece of student-made artwork or creating art themselves with the provided PVCC-themed coloring books, also made by student artists. All the while, guests enjoyed chocolate-centric refreshments, such as chocolate-covered strawberries, pretzels, and apples; Gearhearts chocolates; and various flavours of Häagen-Dazs ice cream.
The event was a celebration of the creativity of PVCC’s student artists. In total, artists contributed 103 separate pieces, all made by PVCC students in their art classes from the Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and Spring 2026 semesters. These works are now on display in the PVCC Gallery, which is split across the north and south hallways of the third floor of the Dickinson building, until Aug. 29.
The exhibition features art across a wide variety of mediums, from acrylics to charcoal to photography to digital illustration and more. Four pedestals display ceramic works, such as a vase featuring intricate clay chain links titled “Chain #2,” created by Morgan Bell.
Rex Freas’ mixed media piece “Mother of Exiles: American Dream,” which was the winning piece in the PVCC Visual Arts Luminary competition in February, gathered much attention from guests, many of whom sought out Freas to pay their compliments. “I’m glad people are emotionally affected by it,” Freas said.
In addition to the artwork on display, the exhibition opening featured a more interactive piece. Created by the PVCC Art Club for the event, Pouncer’s Very Cool Coloring Book: Creatures on Campus is a collection of 12 drawings by 10 Art Club members featuring different locations on the PVCC campus populated by animals, aliens, monsters, and the like. Jhen Sullivan served as editor for the book. Entries include “Dragon by Keats” by Maggie Davis, “Creatures in the Gallery” by Freas, and “Monster at Main” by Blissful Atwell. “I’m super happy with how much art we have this time around, and how much variety of art there is,” said Atwell, who is president of the Art Club, about the coloring book and exhibition as a whole.
Associate Professor of Art Fenella Belle, who was the driving force behind organizing the exhibition and the opening event, explained the process by which art was selected for display. “This is not a juried show,” Belle said. “Students choose, along with consulting with their teachers, what work to show.” Students officially were limited to two pieces each, but due to the high variety and quality of the pieces, some exceptions had to be made, Belle said.
Other exhibitions in the PVCC gallery are typically collaborations with local professional artists, who produce pieces relating to a central theme, requiring months of planning. “As soon as I’m done with one exhibit, I’m sort of engaged in the next,” Belle said. The Student Art Exhibition is different; instead of contacting local artists to create pieces for an exhibition, the Student Art Exhibition collects art that has already been made, or is being made, by students.
Still, the Student Art Exhibition requires significant work to prepare and arrange. Belle gave a shout-out to two staff members who were crucial to making the exhibition happen. “The ceramics portion of the exhibition would not have happened without the amazing help of Kim Helme, who is our part-time ceramics studio manager,” Belle said. “She’s the person who made sure the last kiln got fired in time.”
Chris McDaniels, who is the studio monitor and who Belle described as an “all around ‘everything man’” was also a key player. “He preps the walls, moves pedestals, and generally does lots of behind the scenes work that makes it all possible,” Belle said.
One piece, “Orange Feline” by Valeria Quezada-Romero, done in acrylic on paper, was sold on the night of the opening. However, selling artwork is not the main purpose of the exhibition. Most of the pieces on display are not for sale. Above all else, the exhibition is meant to celebrate PVCC student artists and the work they do in their classes. “Most of the year, our art students are busy working in relative obscurity — either hidden away downstairs in our studios or online,” the introductory sign to the exhibition reads. “But once a year, they come up for air and share their riches!”
The student art exhibit allows students to share their work and share inspiration with the rest of the PVCC community. “It’s nice to let students have a vehicle to stretch their wings,” Belle said. The Dickinson Building, which houses PVCC’s art classrooms, is a fitting place for the exhibition. Belle explained, “The reason we have it here is because it’s a beautiful space, and a lot of people come through here.”
The PVCC Student Art Exhibition opened on April 17 and will remain open until Aug. 29, celebrating PVCC’s student artwork in the PVCC Gallery located on the third floor of the Dickinson Building. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, in addition to being open during any Fine Art or Performance events taking place in Dickinson.
