Alumni of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts showcased work spanning the history of CFA on Friday evening to commemorate individual talent and the school’s 60th anniversary.
The exhibition, titled Convergence and sponsored by CFA, began its several weeklong installation at the 808 Gallery at 808 Commonwealth Ave. Friday and will be on display until Dec. 14. Over 150 people wandered around the gallery, taking in both the artistry and the history of the college.
“It’s visually demonstrating the work of people over the 60 years, so it’s a direct way to show a visual arts school’s missions, and it’s a great way for those people to come back and converge on occasion to meet each other and see each other,” said James Hull, interim director of exhibitions at CFA.
Over 140 artists are represented in the exhibit, which New York resident Andrea Champlin, 47, curated. An independent curator and artist, Champlin was hired by CFA for the showcase.
With a symbolic exhibition like Convergence, Champlin said, it was important to select art that best represented CFA at different points in time.
“The art represented something about the era of the school from which it came,” she said. “In other words, the program has changed over time, there have been different faculty to come through the school and taught at the school, and they’ve had influence on the students that have been studying at the time.”
Champlin said she tried to strike a balance between the constant changes within CFA and the enduring values that define the school.
“I was trying to represent both the changes that occurred over time, but also the consistencies, the ideas that persisted throughout the history of the school,” she said.
Many of the showcased artists attended the celebration to meet with other alumni and support each other’s work.
Zachary Meetig (CFA ’98) and Todd Scalise (CFA ’97) said they were honored to return to BU and the 808 Gallery, which was where they hosted their thesis show.
The pair reminisced about their time at CFA and how it impacted their careers.
“Working in this building, which is a historic Cadillac showroom building, we had the studios upstairs,” Scalise said. “For me, just having that labyrinth, with the vaulted ceiling space to paint in.”
Laura Gabriela (CFA ’11) earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and her work was one of many pieces featured at Convergence.
“I’m really excited to see the art work that has spanned over the years,” she said. “I only graduated three years ago, so to see artwork from people that graduated in the 70’s and beyond my graduating class was really great. And for me, personally, this is one of the first shows that I’ve ever done, so it gives me a chance.”
Several current CFA students attended the exhibit to admire alumni work, interact with them and learn about their school’s diverse history.
Brendan Cobb, a junior in CFA majoring in sculpture, said the collection serves as inspiration and motivation for what he hopes to achieve in his own career.
“I went to this event because it shows the work of people who have gone through the same programs that I’ve gone through, and their work after they’ve gone to a masters and fine arts program and see how much more refined it is than what you’d do as an undergrad,” she said.
Madeleine Bialke, a first year graduate in CFA studying painting and drawing, said she liked seeing some of the artists in person and the variety of their technique and approaches in art.
“It’s been a big deal in the program. All of our professors have been really excited about it. All of the students are really thrilled to see where we could be, where others have gone after graduation,” she said. “There’s a lot of energy in the room.”
