March 25, 2019

Painting, sculpture, product design and animation are examples of the body of work that will be showcased at this year’s visual communications grad show – Expose.

This annual event is hosted at Medicine Hat College’s (MHC) One on One Gallery from Apr. 5 to 22, 2019. The opening reception will be on Apr. 6 at 7 p.m.

“This show is for everyone. It’s an opportunity to come together and be exposed to an array of mediums, ideas, perspectives, products, industries, thoughts and stories,” says Ali Mullin, third year, visual communications student. “It’s a place for learning and discussions. An opportunity for us, as students, to showcase our skills and demonstrate the diversity and potential the program provides.”

The Grad Show, which is part of the final assignment in two courses, provides the students the opportunity to not only create work that will be featured in a gallery, but also market and plan the event.

“As a team, the class is responsible for preparing a budget, coordinating the event, advertising and creating the promotional materials,” says Mullin. “At the same time that we’re planning what the show is, and how the word can be expressed during the event, we are simultaneously trying to figure out how that applies to our own work – overall it’s a great learning experience.”

For Jessica Plattner, instructor at MHC, the grad show provides her a chance to really see her students’ creativity, originality and work ethic. The experience helps them grow from students into practicing artists.

“I am very excited about the students’ work this year. The ideas and themes in the pieces are also very diverse, ranging from the environment to horse ranching to LGBTQ+ identity,” says Plattner. “Many of the students are doing work that is very personal, with themes drawn from their everyday life. The students are putting their all into what they create, and as a result this is shaping up to be an exhibition with great integrity. I can’t wait to see how this all comes together.”

To learn more about this year’s show and to meet the artists, visit www.exposemhc.ca or follow them on social media at: Facebook, Instagram (@gradshowmhc) and Snapchat (@exposemhc).

Please note that due to the nature of some pieces, parents should accompany younger children to the show.

Interested in learning about the visual communications program at MHC? Visit www.mhc.ab.ca/visualcommunications.