Whether you are partial to the size of the Philip J. Steele Gallery, enjoy the intimacy of the Rude Gallery, or love the way light shines into Rotunda, there are so many beautiful galleries to exhibit your work on the RMCAD campus. However, have you ever considered all the work that goes into staging RMCAD’s rotating exhibitions? Rob Evans, RMCAD’s Gallery Director, is part of the team behind the scenes of all the beautiful RMCAD shows. Evans said that the goal of the gallery team is to “give people a seamless experience” when engaging with art on campus.
We asked Evans about what goes into putting on a show at RMCAD, and he used the analogy of ironing a shirt. “If you iron your shirt, nobody notices, but if you don’t iron your shirt, then everybody notices. So, we’re always looking to assist with those invisible things, so people will be enraptured in the exhibition’s art,” says Evans. That’s not to say that all of the gallery team’s work goes unnoticed, they are constantly evolving to provide students with more opportunities to showcase their creativity. Evans elaborated that the student exhibitions in the Rude Gallery are a fairly new opportunity. “Previously, we had a lot of different types of shows there, but in the last year or two, we’ve really been able to focus on displaying student artwork in that gallery.”
Evans, who is also a RMCAD alumnus, said that the main difference between RMCAD and other colleges is that there are always new exhibitions and opportunities for students each term. “I’ve experienced or heard that other colleges do not have a staff as hands-on as RMCAD,” shares Evans. Exhibitions on campus are designed to elevate the voices of the RMCAD community first and foremost. Having gallery space accessible to students encourages them to be competitive with one another and think more creatively throughout their artistic process!
“Our goal is to incentivize students to go above and beyond by putting on their own exhibitions as part of their education, by learning how to propose, create, and display an exhibition,” said Evans. These opportunities are designed to aid learning outside of the classroom because it is RMCAD’s belief that because of these opportunities, “students get so much more out of their college experience and professional development,” said Evans.
If you are interested in learning more about upcoming student exhibitions, please visit our events calendar. Additionally, if you would like to join our creative community and showcase your work, please check out all of our online and campus programs and request info today!
