Oswego Design Club is hosting its first spring exhibition through this week in Tyler Hall’s corner gallery –- the first of what they hope will be many opportunities for SUNY Oswego’s students to show off their artistic chops in a student-led show. 

The graphic design-oriented student organization, which only made its return as an active club last semester, planned the exhibition as an opportunity for artistically inclined Lakers to have their work shown on campus, a change from the virtual world that many students have become accustomed to in recent years. 

“Having this really allows us to showcase our own unique styles and what works we like to do, and kind of just gives us our own individualized creative outlets,” said Gabriele Candela, the club’s secretary.

Although Oswego Design Club is largely run by and intended for graphic design students, the exhibition itself is a mix of all kinds of art styles. 

“We are going in with a bit of an open mind,” said Caroline Mooney, the club’s president. “We got some photography, we got some studio art, we got some graphic design and a lot of really great work in general.” 

Showcasing possibilities

Besides the artistic value of the work, club secretary Andjela Djapa said that she hopes the exhibition will help students to see the possibility of showing off their own pieces.

“I don’t know how it is for others, but I know for me specifically, being in high school and everything, it was always the dream to actually have an exhibition, be able to showcase your work,” said Djapa. “I think it’s kind of inspiring to see that ‘Hey, my peers, students around me are doing this, maybe I would be able to do this too,’ whether that’s specifically related to your field or even other fields, you know, showcasing their work and themselves.” 

Ally Schutt, a graphic design student whose work is featured in the exhibition, said that the event also presents a chance for students to network with peers in the art community at Oswego. 

“It’s a really nice way to finally share my art and see other people’s art, so it helps get a lot of inspiration and connection between art students who I don’t necessarily know or are younger than me,” said Schutt. “It’s really nice to finally be in person and share in the work that I’ve created, and, like, talking to the other art students in person.” 

'Really impressive'

Schutt also pointed out some of the hurdles the club has encountered in not only organizing this event, but also in getting itself back on its feet after a couple years of inactivity.

“It’s actually really impressive, especially because the design club has been a club that has been kind of inconsistent over the years with seniors graduating and people having to take over the E-board,” said Schutt. “It’s really impressive that not only the exhibition is happening, but also that they were able to get this many people to submit work and be involved with it.”

Mooney credited the rest of her officers in the club as well as faculty advisor Donna Greene in putting together the exhibition. 

“This would not happen with just me alone,” said Mooney. “I’ve had a really great group of people behind me to help us through this process, and especially our academic advisor Donna Greene, who’s been really helpful just because again it’s our first exhibition, many of us have never set one up before, so having that faculty mentor has been really important throughout this process.”

Djapa said that she hopes the club can build on their success in organizing the showcase to make it a yearly event. 

“Next semester, I’ll be stepping into the role of the president of the club and I really hope to actually keep this exhibition going and keep it as an annual thing,” said Djapa. “Even though I will be graduating next year, I really hope for the future E-board members to keep this going year after year.” 

The exhibition is in Room 208 in Tyler Hall, and will run through this Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. 

-- Written by Collin Knapp of the Class of 2023