"There are so many multitalented people in the MIT community. We wanted to create an opportunity for those unknown artists to shine," said Jennifer Recklett about MIT's first juried art exhibit for graduate students and their spouses and partners.
"The Hidden Jewels of Our Community," on view April 22-23 in the Bush Room (10-105),will feature the original work of 22 MIT graduate students, faculty members, their spouses and partners.
Recklett, coordinator for the spouses&partners@MIT program and an organizer for "Hidden Jewels," said the show will spotlight "a part of our community that is rarely recognized at MIT, whether it be the spouse behind the student or the artist inside the scientist."
The event begins on April 22 with an opportunity to meet the artists, view and purchase their work, participate in a silent auction and raffle, and enjoy refreshments and entertainment from 6 to 9 p.m. The artwork will be displayed Friday, April 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free; donations at the door will support next year's show and Raw Art Works (RAW), a nonprofit youth arts organization.
The shows' submissions span five categories: painting, drawing, photography, computer-generated art and 3-D art. A jury of three MIT staff members involved in the arts will determine the best artwork in each category.
Spouses&partners@MIT, the sponsor of "Hidden Jewels," was founded nearly 30 years ago as a group for wives of faculty members. Now nearly 400 members strong, the organization is a resource for all family members of students and faculty at MIT. The group, which has hosted everything from book discussions to belly-dancing classes, has held art shows before, but this is its first juried exhibit.
One of the artists eagerly awaiting the exhibit is Jacquelyn Martino, a graduate student in design and computation in the Department of Architecture who makes digital prints. Martino said she's happy just to show her work and sees the show as an opportunity to draw participants into the MIT community.
Artist Shelly Ray Farrar, whose husband is a graduate student in physical oceanography, agrees. "The MIT art shows have brought me closer to the MIT community ... [the exhibitions] "are a great opportunity to interact with the students, faculty and staff in a situation that isn't set in the classroom."
For more information on the show and spouses&partners@MIT, call 253-1614 or visit http://web.mit.edu/medical/spousesandpartners/artshow.htm.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on April 14, 2004.
