The opening reception for the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art’s 37th annual Young Contemporaries exhibition is 5–7 p.m. on Friday, March 18, 2022, at the Halsey Institute, 161 Calhoun Street. The event is free and open to the public.
Juried by New Orleans–based visiting artist Ron Bechet, Young Contemporaries 2022 represents the brightest talents from across the College – including painters, sculptors, printmakers and photographers majoring in everything from public health to studio art to marine biology. The students get the opportunity not only to have their work chosen by a nationally prominent juror and exhibit in a professional gallery setting, but also to prepare for future gallery exhibits and practice the type of professionalism necessary for success in such a competitive field.
“I want to thank the studio art department and the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art for their care and hospitality in organizing this significant show,” says Bechet. “It is motivating to see the variety of mediums and forms the artwork has taken for this exhibition – all done at high expressive level – making my task more difficult, but also very rewarding. From drawings to photographs, one will find interesting ways of representing the human form. In many, one will also see not only the outward representation, but also the inner expression of the emotion and emergences of our time – in the poses, postures and placement of the form. Through innovative compositional choices and media use, one can see the inquisitiveness and concerns of students. In this time when we are not able to see each other’s faces, it is logical that this experience has made us all see more clearly what is taken for granted. It appears this is what the students want to experience in their opportunity to express themselves.”
The Young Contemporaries awards are funded by the Dean’s Excellence Fund for the College of Charleston School of the Arts. The Norton M. Seltzer Award is funded by Mindelle Seltzer, and the Karin Jurick Award is funded by the Robert Lange Studios community.
The award winners will be announced at 6 p.m. inside the Halsey Institute’s galleries and on the Halsey Institute’s Instagram Stories live. All guests will be required to properly wear a face mask during this event in accordance with the College of Charleston’s COVID-19 policies.
