This year’s University of Oklahoma School of Visual Arts’ senior capstone exhibition will be back in the Fred Jones Center building after an online exhibition last year. The exhibition will be open from April 28 through May 14.

The exhibition will be open to the public and displayed in various locations around the school. There will not be an opening reception this year due to COVID-19 restrictions; however, all are encouraged to attend if they adhere to the policies of the university regarding mask wearing and social distancing. The work will be displayed in the Lightwell Gallery, Spotlight Gallery and various other areas in the building.

This exhibition is presented each spring in conjunction with a capstone course currently required for all seniors receiving a bachelor of fine arts degree from OU. Each student creates a body of work that represents their studies and the time they have spent at the OU School of Visual Arts. These students display a portion of this portfolio during the senior capstone exhibition.

The students work closely with faculty to organize and install their works. Students are responsible for every aspect of the exhibition, which offers them valuable hands-on experience necessary for success post-graduation.

Studio Art professor Jamie Bates-Slone talked about her experience teaching capstone during a pandemic. “Teaching the Capstone course has been an unbelievably rewarding experience, as a lot of the students in this course are those students I had in my beginning courses my first year teaching at OU. Despite the pandemic, these students have pushed forward with very ambitious work and have created one of the most exciting exhibitions I have seen here. I am so proud of the work these students have done and will be very sad to see them go!”

The School of Visual Arts, established in 1915, is the oldest and most comprehensive school of art in the state of Oklahoma. Through civic engagement, the school endeavors to meet the artistic needs of Oklahoma’s citizens and promote the growth of culture. The goal of the OU School of Visual Arts is to prepare each student for success nationally and internationally as artists, designers, scholars, teachers and influential patrons of all the arts.

The Lightwell Gallery is located on the second floor and the Spotlight Gallery is located on the first floor of the School of Visual Arts in the Fred Jones Jr. Art Center, 520 Parrington Oval, in the OU Arts District. Gallery hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; it is closed on weekends and OU holidays.

For more information on the OU School of Visual Arts, visit art.ou.edu. For accommodations, call (405) 325-2691 or email art@ ou.edu.