Stephanie Steiner | Arts & Life Editor
The first senior exhibitions up in the art gallery have captured the attention of the Buena Vista University (BVU) campus as Rebecca Bassich and Kyle Shade showcased their art and photography skills. The creativity fostered throughout their BVU experiences can be recognized through these exhibitions.
Oompanana! by Rebecca Bassich
Rebecca Bassich, senior Art major, gathered inspiration for her senior show from one of the most uninspired moments she had. As she was crafting a simple sketch for an assignment for an art class, she realized it could be something more. Through Bassich’s exhibition, you can explore an imaginary a world in Oompa Wood where the tiny, personality-filled Oompananas roam.
“I really hope that people see that the characters are joyful – they’re nature spirits, but they’re also kind of like my own inner child. They are my sense of joy and expression for life,” Bassich said. “I want them to feel happy when they look at them. The characters are about being happy, appreciating life, and just being themselves.”
Bassich explains that the spontaneous nature of her Oompanana characters accurately reflects who she is as a person. After changing her major five times before she became an Art major, she realized that she is an explorer at heart who likes to try many different things out of her own curiosity.
“I think you can see that in the characters – I love life, I love people, I love nature, and I’m very interested in everything. My experience at BV has been about that – exploring as much as I can of everything that BV has to offer,” Bassich said. “It’s been a wild ride. I feel like I’m at the point where I can look back and appreciate all the opportunities I’ve had because they’ve allowed me to develop within myself as a person.”
Bassich is thankful to those who took a glimpse at her show and has loved the reaction to the characters she created.
Visual Sounds by Kyle Shade
Kyle Shade, senior Graphic Design and Digital Media double major, took his photography skills and supplemented them with his personal connection to certain songs. Shade wanted to incorporate a range of musical genres and appeal to various viewers while they looked at his captivating images; he chose a soundtrack song, a dance/techno song, a song by The Fray, and a song by Mumford & Sons.
“I hoped it would give the viewer a glimpse of who I am, perhaps, and I hoped that each person would be moved not only by the portraits but also by the music,” Shade said. “Each song means something to me and has some sort of influence on who I am, so I was just sharing that influence with others.”
Shade realized that because his exhibition was a representation of what certain songs mean to him, he should include self-portraits, which is something he is not used to. He wanted to grow and do something completely new.
“It has been a huge build-up to this moment, where it’s actually my turn to do a show. It’s been that driving force all four years as we work toward this goal. Where’d the time go?” Shade said. After experiencing it, he now can offer advice to others building up to this moment. “Don’t feel like you have to know completely what you’re doing. Don’t rush the process, and just think about where you want your work to take you and do something that will get you there.”
