Lawrence Hall's forecast this June calls for downpour courtesy of the tenth annual Spring Storm. Spring Storm is the annual School of Art + Design's (A+D) senior show for their graduating students. Each year, Spring Storm showcases work from over 100 seniors majoring in art, art & technology, and product design, taking over the building in a flurry of activity and transformation, and infusing an electric atmosphere at the College of Design. Students are barely able to contain their excitement for the work and celebration to come.
“As a graphic designer for the Spring Storm event this year, I can’t tell you how excited I am to see it all come together. This year, I chose the flower motifs to celebrate the vibrant spring season as well as the ten-year anniversary of the event," said Anna Hothai, BFA Art & Technology '23. "It was amazing to work on everything from the very first logo sketch to the final catalog design. I’m so thrilled to see a huge turnout this year and to see the names of my talented peers who will be exhibiting. As seniors, we missed out on a lot of opportunities due to the pandemic, but that didn’t stop us from being able to create awesome things and to build our own communities. Everybody worked so hard to get to this point and this is a celebration that you don’t want to miss. Congrats, everyone!”
Each show is a culmination of that particular student cohort's studies, spotlighting well-researched and informed work that students develop with support from faculty. By engaging a broad range of art and design practices, the displayed work celebrates the senior's college experience and becomes a stepping stone on their journey into a lifetime of creative thinking and innovative action. A+D faculty take the opportunity to mentor and sharpen their students with their usual rigor and wisdom, guiding each unique project to its final Spring Storm form.
"Each Spring Storm is a unique opportunity not just for our students, but for A+D faculty as well," explained Colin Ives, Associate Professor of Art and Director of the Center for Art Research (CFAR). "Each student cohort has its own view and approach to the year's work, which in turn presents a new challenge for our faculty to navigate and shape as we start to help lead these students to the exhibition. Charting a path through this creative 'storm' strengthens faculty and students as we chart this crucible together. Each discovery and interaction that takes place during this year of exploration is precious and informative, helping build on this signature event's reputation as a unique, experiential learning opportunity for all involved. We can't wait to see what comes next for the students, the faculty, and our visitors when they come through the building."
Spring Storm offers current students, faculty, staff, and outside stakeholders an intimate look into the creative processes, material choices, and theoretical approaches to art and design undertaken by these senior students. Every Spring Storm begins with a day of installation, as students work with faculty to exhibit their work on walls, in display cases, and in multiple galleries throughout the college's many crooks and crannies. All media areas are on display as ceramics, digital arts, drawing, fibers, jewelry, metalsmithing, painting, photography, printmaking, product design, and sculpture are celebrated and given their time to shine during the culmination of everyone's studies in the spring term.
“Spring Storm is a celebration of the diversity of those efforts and ideas across A+D, all the catalytic interactions and the individual discoveries made during these seniors’ college careers,” said Laura Vandenburgh, director of the School of Art + Design. "The build-up and the execution of this signature event gives A+D a satisfying ending to a year of discovery."
When the exhibit installation is complete, the students and faculty celebrate their hard work with a well-earned reception from 4 - 6 pm. A jury will select exceptional work to be exhibited in the LaVerne Krause Gallery in Week 11.
