This past Sunday, Sept. 29, Kitao Art Gallery presented their First-Year Art Showcase. The showcase presented works by Benjamin Scully, Ivy Lin, Olivia Beck, Eleanor Xu, Dilahan Cavusaglu, Yu-jing Chen, Eleanor Hoover, Madelin Lopez, Ada Reddington, Alex Coley, Emma Shi, and Megumi Jindo — all ’28. As one of Kitao’s most meaningful annual exhibitions, the First-Year Art Showcase acts simultaneously as a point of introduction for first-year students to the Kitao Art Gallery and as an avenue to uplift the artistic achievement of the new class. Following a weekend of events encouraging students to engage with art outside of the college — notably the Chester Art Crawl and the Fine Arts and Crafts festival, which introduced students to professional artists and their work — Kitao’s First-Year Art Showcase is an opportunity to highlight the work of our many talented and multifaceted Swatties.
Given the distinctiveness of Swarthmore students, it is no surprise that the guiding philosophy of the showcase was that of artistic freedom and expression. The latent diversity of Swarthmore’s heterogenous student body was manifested through each artist’s unique statement and expression thereof. Through their idiosyncratic modes — ranging from those as traditional as photography and colored pencil to the more innovative styles such as smithing and digital painting — each student communicated small parts of their essence. In their unique fashions, each student contributed to what Ezana Demissie ’26 referred to as a “love of the space and of making things.”
What made Kitao special, Demissie stressed, was the notion that every member shares a special connection to art — that as diverse as any club at Swarthmore is bound to be, they are united through their love of the form. Art majors and non-art majors alike found themselves at home within the exhibit and with a chance to express themselves on the stage of the showcase. The unique connection of Kitao members to art was compounded through my conversation with Reddington, who described art as primarily a hobby, but described her infatuation with watercolor (she noted in passing that she has produced over 100 watercolors). Though she came to enjoy art first as a summer activity, it became a calming practice, a time of introspection, and something that she wanted to share with others. From those whose lives have been defined through a thorough study of art to those who participate with art as a hobby alone, a love of the artistic process is the connection between such diverse individuals.
While a love of art is inherent to and expected from members of an artistic community such as Kitao, it was equally as interesting to note how the event inspired a love of art from the wider Swarthmore community. Friends, family, and strangers alike all joined together to support the young artists’ work. For many of these artists, this experience was the first event in which they showcased their works before an audience as large as the Swarthmore community. Undeniably, the heart of the event was when Lopez had her family come to support her as she presented her colored pencil pieces for the event. Their excitement and love for the artist was palpable, which in turn contributed heavily to the aura of congeniality that the event inspired. While the event was particularly meaningful because of audience members’ connections to the artists, to ignore the skill and beauty of their work in favor of the social engagements running parallel denies the intent and central essence of the event: amplifying the reach of students’ art. The collection of such varied and innovative artists was particularly emblematic of the culture of Swarthmore at large. Uniquely powerful voices, each expressing their ideas confidently before the world, in different but parallel ways represented Swatties’ passion and commitment to making positive change to the world.
Though I have attempted to describe the powerful effect of the collection of art as exhibited in the showcase as a collection, I believe an effort to describe the immediate effect of the showcase would be incomplete without acknowledging the one artist whose work struck me the most — Shi. Shi’s works are notable not simply because they contain superb craftsmanship (though they exude immense quality), but also because of their storytelling and symbolic power. Her painting “Hangman” — which depicts a Lalaloopsy doll hanging off a table, presumably about to fall into the hanging noose before her — held an intense intrigue and truthfulness. The painting’s depiction of innocence and youth, with the doll representing a levity and purity inherent in childhood being corrupted to the point of suicide, immediately struck me. It wasn’t simply the metaphor itself, that of a person being brought to suicide by a society which has corrupted it, but also the myriad modes in which that message was conveyed. Its recurrent themes of childhood and morbidity inculcated a dispiriting but honest interpretation of growing up and encountering depression. While Shi’s pieces exhibit a peculiar honesty and aptness at conveying their theme, these pieces exist within the larger context of Kitao members producing strong statements about the world stated through art.
To leave off, Kitao would like to stress the numerous ways in which students can become involved in its activities. For anyone who wishes to participate in Kitao but may have apprehensions about the involvement, Studio Nights are the perfect place to participate in the Kitao community with no strings attached. Every Wednesday from 8-10 p.m., Kitao hosts Studio Nights, where students are encouraged to come in and create their own artworks. They provide ample supplies for students who lack access to such facilities, and encourage everyone from beginners to experienced artists to engage with the community. For those students looking to join Kitao in a more formal capacity, there are planning meetings every Sunday at 1 p.m. The Kitao First-Year Showcase represents only the beginning of their work for this year, and I look forward to seeing their continued contributions to the artistic community at Swarthmore.
