How to make a mark on the CU art scene

You don’t need to take the 1 train all the way down to Chelsea to get a dose of the New York art scene. There are plenty of venues right on campus that give students the opportunity not only to see art, but to create and curate it themselves.

CURATE
Postcrypt Art Gallery is a space for undergraduates to show, curate, and view student art. They curate monthly shows, which allows students to both submit work for review and choose what goes on the walls. Last year’s shows were “The Obstacles Show,” “Scarlet Fever,” and “Human Graffiti.” The gallery often hosts open mic nights, poetry slams, and live music, as well as public art installations. Last fall, they did an environmental piece on College Walk that was made of hundreds of plastic bags. The group also joins with Postcrypt Coffeehouse in the spring to present ArtsFest, which is an art auction and afternoon of live music on the lawns near John Jay. Postcrypt Art Gallery meetings are Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. in the basement of St. Paul’s Chapel (between Avery Library and Buell Hall), but check the group’s Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.

CREATE
The Artist Society was organized by students who loved to create and wanted studio time, but couldn’t fit visual arts classes into their schedules. The group hosts a weekly figure-drawing session called “Friday Night Sketch” in which the artistically talented can take advantage of a live model from 6-8 p.m. This is a great place to meet fellow artists and get criticism and feedback. In the spring, the group also hosts “The Drawathon,” which has models posing in shifts for an entire night. Attendees also get free dinner. For students interested in modeling, the Artist Society hires at $15 per hour. All of their events are free, and they provide snacks and supplies at most.

CONTEMPLATE
There are several on-campus venues at which art is regularly shown for free. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery is run by the Columbia Department of Art History and Archaeology. The gallery is intended to extend artistic conversations beyond the classroom. Students interested in gaining gallery experience close to home can participate in internships and fellowships with the gallery.

The Gallery at the LeRoy Neiman Center for Print Studies hosts many exhibitions during the year that feature arts faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and work created in the Center’s printshop. These exhibits allow students to have their work shown in a professional setting, and they are often edgier and more contemporary than the Wallach Gallery’s shows. The current exhibit is “On a Small Piece of Land” by Leilei Meng. It features gelatin silver prints that chronicle the year the Beijing-based artist spent in a rural Chinese village.

The Macy Gallery is part of the Art and Art Education department at Columbia’s Teachers College. It shows work by unaffiliated artists, graduate students, faculty members, and even sometimes children. The gallery aims to present a wide range of international exhibitions that reflect a commitment to diversity. It also hosts several “Artists’ Talks and Lectures” throughout the year. The current exhibit is “Inside Out” by Donna Clovis, a photographer, performance artist, and journalist who specializes in gender and identity issues.

Wallach Art Gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday, 1-5 p.m., and is located on the eighth floor of Schermerhorn Hall. LeRoy Neiman Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and is located on the first floor of Dodge Hall. Macy Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and is located on the fourth floor of Macy Hall on West 120th Street. Admission to all three venues is free.