“Far From Home”: connecting art and culture
By Hayley Barry
Photograph by Courtney Camden
The SCAD International Student Services Office and SCAD Language Studio presented their annual juried exhibition of SCAD international student work on Friday, March 28. The exhibit is titled, “Far From Home.” From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., students flocked to Fahm Hall Gallery to checkout the selected artwork and participate in the reception and awards ceremony.
Though small, the event attracted many attendants. The artists and supportive friends, as well as interested professors, could all be seen. The selected work covered many different types of media, including, but not limited to, illustration, painting, metal work, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, digital animation, and motion media.
With this great variety of different media and genres, students from all over the world were able to showcase their abilities and unique perspectives through their work.
One of the students with work featured in the gallery was photography major Meyrem Bulucek from Romania. “I am very happy I got into this exhibit,” Bulucek said. “They framed our pictures and everything.”
Bulucek found out about the event through an ISSO email, and it said it was the first time she’d been able to show her work at such an event.
Another international student, Claudia Miranda from Venezuela, gave some perspectives about the opportunities an exhibition like “Far From Home” has for SCAD’s international students.
“I’m really into it when people put their culture into their work,” Miranda said. “It’s an honor to be here and I just feel like when your work is exposed to more people it’s another way to reach out.”
Director of International Student Services Jeffrey Jones, along with Bonnie Decker, an ISSO adviser, organized and oversaw the “Far From Home” exhibition, which featured work from students at the Savannah, Atlanta, and Hong Kong campuses.
To give a little history of “Far From Home,” Jones explained how the show began.
“I first started at SCAD in 1998 and the show ran through April 2005. We decided with so many international students to bring the show back in April of 2012.”
The wide variety of different cultures and different art forms represented indicates the growing international community here at SCAD.
“We had well over 150 international students submit work,” Jones said, while 68 made it into the exhibition. Overall at least 30 different nations were represented.
Recently the ISSO has made a few changes to help student’s with the submission process. One in particular has been especially helpful to students’s wallets.
The ISSO now says that those students who submit 2D artwork may do so without any mat or framing, which can be costly. The pieces that were accepted would be framed by the ISSO.
“Without the support and technical expertise of everyone in the Exhibitions Department,” Jones said, “the exhibition would not have been possible.”
At 6 p.m. Jones announced the show’s winners and runners-up:
—”iPad Air Commercial” by Keliang Shan.
—”Number” by Jialuen Stasia Luo.
—”Train” by Anh Duy Pham.
—”Bunny Man” by Narges Jafari.
—”Popcorn Drop” by YunJu Yang.
The Postcard Winner was Sanaz Yazdani with her piece titled, “Spectrum.” It was printed on all the “Far From Home” informational postcards.
The Best in Show was Quinton Theron with his piece titled, “Shorty: A South African Prisoner.”
Theron, an industrial design major, is originally from South Africa. The content of his piece deals directly with the people and culture of his country.
“I want to share my artwork with people because many don’t know about this sub-culture of South Africa,” Theron said.
The exhibition at Fahm Hall Gallery will be on display from March 28 to April 18. The Gallery’s hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.