Student art exhibit chooses Old Town Saginaw venue

November 13, 2006 —

Three SVSU fine arts majors will be presenting an art exhibit this Friday night, but they won't be presenting it on campus.

Instead, Paolo Pedini, Erno Klajo, and Dee Howell convinced the owner of the Resurrected Vintage shop on Court Street to let them show their art at her second-story venue.

Just two weeks ago, the attic's walls had been freshly painted white and the assorted artwork was scattered around the room, waiting to be hung up for display.

"The theme of the show is 'Integrated Diversity,'" Pedini explained. "It will be a show based upon the premise that different people of different backgrounds can come together for common purposes and common goals."

The show will illustrate this theme by bringing different artistic materials together, as the range of mediums the artists used includes print, paint, digital, charcoal, and even natural wood.

"It has been a challenge for us," Howell admitted. "We've had to put a show together where we need to incorporate our different artistic styles and try to come up with harmonious, inventive themes."

"But," Klajo added, "I think the different styles will make the whole show more interesting."

Pedini, who is the founding president of SVSU's University Artistry, views this exhibit as a pilot for future student art shows through the student organization. He hopes to inspire young artists by showing them that there is an audience for their artwork in this community.

"I consider this show planning for the next show," he said. "We'll find out what works, what doesn't, and what the interest is."

Pedini is currently working out the details of organizing larger, UA-sponsored group shows in the future. Once "a buzz" is created through these assorted group shows, he then has plans to focus on more medium-specific shows.

One medium he feels the need to create a specific exhibit for is the medium of photography. He'd like to be responsible for coordinating an entire show with nothing but photographs.

"Not that painting and photography don't work well together," he said. "But it doesn't seem like there are a whole lot of venues for photography."

For future shows, the artists plan to work with various charities where a percentage of the profit from each piece of art sold will go to a non-profit organization of choice.

On Friday, the majority of the artwork will be for sale and all proceeds will go to the artists, who are still in the process of figuring out prices.

"We want to make it affordable," Pedini said. "But we're still students and we have more shows to do."

Pedini, Klajo, and Howell don't deny that SVSU's art department has helped them to become better, more focused artists. They believe the department is just the right size for students desiring to specialize in a specific area.

They describe how there are a variety of professors who each seem to have their specific strongpoint, which makes it possible for students to be influenced by educated individuals from a variety of different art fields as well as by their peers.

"And I would think at this point in time that the three of us are each other's biggest influences--whether that's good or bad," Pedini said. "Throughout history, a lot of artists relied on interaction. They were together a lot because you can't work in a vacuum; you have to work with other people. Everything we're doing comes down to communication."

The opening reception for the exhibit will take place Friday, Nov. 17 from 5-11 p.m. in the Resurrected Vintage shop located at 414 Court Street in Saginaw.