Parting from his artwork is no obstacle for studio art freshman Austin McKinney. It’s a rare occasion when he is attached to his pieces, finding it significant to pass on items of meaning to others.

“If there’s [artwork] I have and it brings someone alive, or brings catharsis to another, I’m all for them having it around to draw inspiration from,” McKinney said.

McKinney will showcase his piece, “Ghosts at Midnight,” at Gallery Black Lagoon this weekend. The art student’s work is part of the fifth annual UNTITLED, an event sponsored by the Undergraduate Art History Association, which promotes the visual arts and investigates the career and educational opportunities of its members. For the first time ever, this year’s UNTITLED will be a two day event.

“Ghosts at Midnight,” McKinney’s art piece, features sheet music from a piano book McKinney used when his mother taught him how to play the piano.

The heart-shaped focal point is surrounded by melted shades of lavender wax, serving as a stark contrast in the background.

“It symbolizes a bond between mother and son through a musical medium,” McKinney said.

UNTITLED allows students the opportunity to exhibit and sell their art with hopes of creating new relationships within the Austin art community.

Participants were able submit up to five pieces for consideration, ranging anywhere from paintings, photography, drawings and printmaking.

Studio art junior Iva Kinnaird is also a first-time participant at UNTITLED, though she’s had prints on exhibit at the Gallery Black Lagoon before. Kinnaird will have a lithograph, wood dress and a screen print, “Crow,” on display this weekend.

“Lithograph is an old printmaking technique where you have to etch the image on to a stone and print it at a printing press,” Kinnaird said. “Screen printing is a more modern technique where it’s easier to print larger images. You can’t do shading as easily [as with a lithograph] but it’s a lot faster.”

The UAHA curating team judged the artists’ submissions and decided which pieces would hang in the gallery. The artists selected also have the opportunity to take an unlimited number of smaller-scaled works of art to sell in addition to the chosen pieces.

“It’s hard to price a project you’ve been working on for a long period of time, so it’s better to make sketches,” Kinnaird said of the additional artworks she
will sell.

UNTITLED also allows hands-on experience for the people running the show aside from the artists who participate. The students in UAHA had to fundraise, promote and figure the overall logistics of setting up the works for the gallery for the exhibition.

Alina Rich, UAHA president, has worked on the preparations for UNTITLED every year for the past three years.

“It’s given me curatorial and arts administration experience, which are skills that will transfer into my career,” Rich said. “[The UAHA] hope our members use the skills acquired in preparing for UNTITLED and apply them to future internships and careers.”

Senior Charlotta Hill said that as an art history student, UNTITLED has allowed her experience in the field she desires to work in once she graduates.

“I’ve learned a lot about artist relations and how an art show should be run,” said Hill, social chair of UAHA. “It’s a learning experience for all of us more than anything, and it has helped us practice and understand the relationship between artists and art historians."

And as far as art-related careers go, the UAHA president said she thinks that, contrary to what many people believe, the study of art will always exist.

“Many works of art are expressive historical accounts of what happens in the world, and are often injected with opinions, philosophies and beliefs,” Rich said. “As long as people have opinions in the world, the production and study of art will never cease.”

UAHA historian Kelly Lin said that even though the economy might not be at tip-top shape, there is always a place for art. “Whether it be for pure enjoyment or as an investment, I think now is the best time to be even more supportive of our studio art majors,” Lin said.

Printed on Thursday, March 29, 2012 as:Exhibition gives artstudents exposure, connections