Something is different about the art hanging on the walls in the Harold J. Miossi gallery as of late.
Normally, the gallery hosts a variety of pieces from across the globe, carefully curated by Tim Stark, who serves as the gallery coordinator and curates all the art featured there—but for the next month, the gallery’s focus is closer to home.
“The space naturally highlights all of the artwork that is displayed in it,” Stark said. “Given that for a majority of the year the gallery displays professional artists from around the country and the world, the Student Annual is a very special event where the Cuesta College students have an opportunity to have their work on display.”
Through May 19, visitors will have the opportunity to view the best work created by students enrolled in the Cuesta College Art Program.
The show, which is free to the public, will feature ceramics, drawing, graphic design, digital art, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. Cuesta students gave event juror Dane Goodman a rich and diverse array of art to choose from.
“It was a delight to juror this because when I go and look at such a wide range of art I had the pleasure of sifting through, it makes me want to go back into the studio and work on some of my own art,” Goodman said with a laugh.
Goodman was given around 300 pieces of student-made artwork to look through and ultimately chose about 90 pieces for the exhibition with 15 singled out for awards.
“It’s sort of like if you’re playing basketball on an outdoor court and then you go and play at a gym—it’s like, ‘Oh this is different,” he said. “Once you have your work displayed like this at a professional level, you get a feel for what it is like to see it through other people’s eyes.”
The France-born Amandine Sosinski is one of the students getting that opportunity. The former funeral director said the gallery is emblematic of the overall experience of being in the art program at Cuesta College and being able to fully express the emotions from her time living above a funeral home.
“After a year at Cuesta, I am very impressed by the art program—every teacher I met is encouraging and passionate about their work, offering resources and tools that help you achieve your goals,” Sosinski said. “Compared to other places I’ve studied at, the art program is very hands-on. You don’t sit through lectures for hours because your class is in a workshop or a studio, and that means it’s time to make art!”
She contributed several pieces to the event but feels that one in particular really highlights her approach to art while also making use of the gallery’s lighting to draw in the viewer’s attention.
“I enjoy puzzling people with my sculpture … as it’s a curious piece that doesn’t reveal its meaning at first glance,” she said. “Everyone is asking questions about it, some love it, some hate it—that’s art!”
Sosinski described her sculpture—The Ruins of the Tower of Babel; an American Roadside Attraction—as a tongue-in-cheek depiction of American exceptionalism and a commentary on the shortsighted nature of American fascination.
“As a foreigner, I love learning about the fringe and unexpected parts of American culture from its grandeur and its pitfalls—roadside attractions are part of this country’s charm, in all of its corniness,” she said with a laugh. “Is it authentic? Probably not. Is it odd? Yes. Do you feel like you just walked into a liminal space? Absolutely!”
Ultimately Sosinski sees all of the art featured at the event as representative of the sometimes wild, sometimes unique paths that the program can lead artists down.
“Most of the time, my artwork has a spirit of its own, sometimes straying entirely from my initial vision, but I’ve learned through the program that it is essential to be flexible,” she said. “It creates more interesting pieces in the end—then I get to decipher it and all of its layers alongside the viewers.” Δ
New Times Staff Writer Adrian Vincent Rosas is looking at all of the amazing student art at the Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery. Reach him at arosas@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Best Of SLO County 2023.