Story Melissa Hoffman 

Photos Dave Martinez

If you’re not fortunate enough to have the Metropolitan Museum of Art, posh downtown galleries, or private art spaces in your own backyard, an easy way to satisfy a craving for culture comes in a place often overlooked by members of the community: the university art building. Almost every major city has a university campus, and many art departments host a gallery area. Lawrence Hall, the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts building, is home to the Laverne Krause Gallery, whose exhibits change weekly. Search your own city's colleges to discover unique, budding artists full of creativity. Viewing student artwork reaps two-fold rewards: supporting burgeoning student talents in their chosen craft, and finding inspiration through a new source. Here are some talented artists on the UO campus. 

Although she had been a stellar art student in high school, Stephanie Loftis declared a psychology major when she began her college education at the University of Oregon. For three years, without access to art department classes, Loftis spent a lot of time in the Erb Memorial Union Craft Center, where she was able to satisfy her creative urges with painting, casting, and sculpture. During her junior year, though, Loftis was able to enroll in a basic design class, and knew instantly that art was her true passion. Loftis is now a senior in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program, focusing on sculpture. She says her training in psychology aids her work, which is primarily casting and sculpture.  

In April, Loftis showcased her work in a week-long exhibition in the Laverne Krause Gallery. The installation, titled Sanctuary, investigates the difference between private and public spaces. Loftis chose to exploit the concept of privacy by using voyeurism to comment on societal constraints to which people adhere, often unknowingly. The installation featured a cast bathtub, a sink, and the absence of a toilet. The pieces ask: Why do we as a society resort to private spaces when we are all going through similar experiences as humans?   

More student artwork

Underwater, by senior journalism major Josephine Bartlett. Watercolor, acrylic and sharpie on canvas. In one of her first commissioned pieces, Bartlett worked with a beach theme to create this colorful mélange. 

Life Cycle, by senior digital arts major Courtney Christianson. The piece represents the intimate relationship between life and death. Though it began as a doodle in an environmental philosophy class, Christianson later redrew the image and manipulated it in Photoshop.   

Environment, by junior digital arts major Karyn Fiebich. Photo collage. In this collection of more than fifty images, Fiebich pulled inspiration from nature to capture a surreal notion of environment.

Perfectly Odd, by sophomore pre-journalism major Cameron Giblin. Pencil drawing. Inspired by his first trip to the Oregon Country Fair in summer 2008, Giblin spent nearly 150 hours on what he believes captures his experiences much more effectively than a written journal entry.

Henna Hand, by junior journalism major Leah Olson. Acrylic on four-inch-by-four-inch panels. On a trip to Nepal in 2008, Olson was fascinated and inspired by the beautiful henna designs that many Nepali women wear on their hands and arms.