On April 28, the Cerritos College Art Department opened their 2022 art exhibition after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
A ceremony was held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday following the judging of a designated judge to honor the students’ works and announce awards.
The ceremony was held at the Fine Arts building located on the West side of campus where over one hundred students, parents and faculty gathered to witness the opening of the art exhibit that will remain open until July.
Since the beginning of the semester, a contest was open to students in the College’s art, digital and graphic design, photography (etc.) departments.
Students were allowed to submit their pieces in a contest- whether physical, digital or on paper- and receive a chance to win cash prizes as well as recognition for their work in the campus’s art exhibition.
First, second, third and honorable recognitions were awarded to students of seven different categories who had submitted their pieces and were featured in the exhibit.
The categories to be judged were for (1) Cermaics/3D Design; (2) Painting/Life Drawing; (3) Freehand Drawing; (4) Printmaking/2D Design/Color Theory; (5) Graphic Design/Digital Illustration; (6) 3D Modeling/Motion Picture Editing; and (7) Photography.
For the past two years, the art department had made their exhibit feature exclusively online via Zoom, where students were virtually recognized for their work in online classes.
Instructional and academic support (for the theatre department, specifically) Ariel Hughes, said that she is grateful to James McDubbin for inviting her to be a part of the art community at Cerritos College this year.
“The students submitted so many great pieces,” Hughes said, “and the craziest part is that these are beginners, they are only scratching the surface of their potential.”
Hughes emphasized the importance of recognizing the amount of time, effort and work each student put into their pieces.
“To be isolated for two years and still be able to hone their skills throughout the semester,” Hughes said. “Now that is talent! It’s so amazing that we are able to bring our community back together to recognize the beauty of art.”
Many students expressed their gratitude and excitement for the reception and exhibit as it allowed them to feel more confident in themselves and their work.
Rachel Tamayo, Graphic Design major at Cerritos College, won 1st place in the two-dimensional and color theory section for her blue, abstract self-portrait; She hopes to transfer to the California State University of Long Beach for their art programs.
“I always knew I wanted to do something with art, and I’m still trying to decide what exactly it is that I want to do with art,” Tamayo said. “This piece probably took me about 25 hours or more to do.”
Tamayo said she was prompted to submit this piece by one of her professors at the College.
“I actually did not think I would win anything at all, I was so shocked to hear my name when it was called but it’s a great feeling I still can’t believe it, but it makes me feel good about my work,” Tamayo concluded.
Luis Artega, photography major, won an honorable recognition by his photography professor for his submitted photo of a street sign with an American flag hovering in the background.
“This exhibit was put on hold for two years because of COVID-19 so I don’t think many people knew or went to it,” Artega said. “I’m just happy to be able to submit my work and be recognized for my efforts. I fell in love with photography in high school and it’s what I want to do.”
Artega said that he [also] hopes to transfer to CSULB for their photography program.
The 2022 art exhibition will be open until July 14 in accordance to the College’s hours for students, faculty and families to view the recognized work.
