Hidden above the Mall after countless stairs and one right turn followed by a left turn, one comes face-to-face with a collection of art work that could easily be on display in a world-famous museum.
Michelle Staves, a freshman at Pierce College studying kinesiology, is too busy with finals to even ponder what is going on beyond her classes at school.
“I never really thought about what going on up there,” Staves said.
She is one of the many students that are unaware of the annual Student Show that is being held in the Art Gallery in Art 3301 from May 15 to June 5.
The exhibition is put on by the Art & Architecture Department and filled with student pieces.
The department started the art show several decades ago, according to Greg Gilbertson, chair of the Art and Architecture Department.
“It provides a visual link to our curriculum, the knowledge and skill sets our students have acquired from taking classes at Pierce,” Gilbertson said.
Students who have taken or are currently enrolled in Art and Architecture classes can enter their work by filling out an entry form, according to Gilbertson.
The exhibition this year is filled with a broad array of pieces in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional installations.
“Everything from graphic design to sculpture carved out of alabaster, to edgy illustrations spray painted in acid green, to quirky found object sculptures reminiscent of Joseph Cornell, will be on display,” according to the press release.
Andrea Fontenot, of the California Institute of the Arts, was the guest juror during the awards ceremony on May 15.
Best in Show, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners were announced, along with honorable mentions, according to Gilbertson.
Spectators and art lovers alike who are interested in purchasing any of the art pieces should contact gallery director Monika Del Bosque, according to the press release.
The gallery will be open to the public Monday through Wednesday from 2 to 9 p.m., Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Staves is looking forward to seeing the pieces for herself.
“Now that I know about the gallery I will make time to go see it,” Staves said. “I just wish that they promoted it better, because I would have never known about it.”
For more information about the Art Gallery visit their website at: http://www.piercecollege.edu/departments/art_architecture/gallery.asp.