The Carillon Gallery hosted its Biennale South alumni art exhibition over the summer. The exhibition aimed to celebrate the work of TCC alumni, inspire current students and connect artists in the community.
One of the pieces featured was a portrait of a man wearing a big smile holding a young girl. The oil is not painted on canvas, though. It’s on childhood Pokémon cards.
“That [the cards] was given to me by my mother and my grandmother,” artist Charles Gray said. “They’re used as the surface for a portrait of two people I love, which is my brother and my cousin.”
Gray took art classes for a decade at TCC, starting in 2006. Tuition was cheaper than renting studio space, and he found he had the most support and creative freedom while in the program. He is now a full-time artist, with museums and galleries across Dallas-Fort Worth regularly exhibiting his work.
“I still go to the school to spend time around other makers and be vulnerable around other makers,” Gray said.
The gallery featured a variety of aesthetics, mediums and themes.
From a collage reminiscent of a ’90s heavy metal album cover to a scene of a heron carrying its catch sewn into fabric, the artwork from decorated alumni demonstrated their distinctive styles.
The bright and animated painting “There’s Food at Home” puts a mother’s fully stocked fridge to scale. Artist Paola Mendez wanted the piece to contrast her dorm fridge, often full of … one full of fruits, vegetables and leftovers from home-cooked meals versus one stocked with a few cans of Red Bull and two cheese sticks.
“It has a very interesting composition of how crowded it is, but it still doesn’t look staged. It still looks natural,” Mendez said about the piece. “But there is a loving feeling to it.”
Mendez is a recent graduate who is continuing her arts education at the University of Texas at Arlington. She knew she wanted her work to be showcased in the exhibition when she saw the last alumni gallery.
She said students who are inspired to create and showcase their work should just start, even if they’re scared or intimidated, but they shouldn’t rush themselves.
“It’s our own lives,” Mendez said. “We can decide however long we need to take for this journey. … As long as you do it, you’re doing it.”
These artists were once students of Joshua Goode, chair of the South department of fine arts. He taught some of the alumni as far back as 2008.
He said this particular exhibition is one he most looks forward to because he gets to see how his students have grown in their artistic expression and professional development.
“It is both a celebration of where our graduates are today and an inspiration for the next generation of artists,” Goode said. “For me personally, it is a powerful reminder of why we do this work.”
The gallery is its own educational tool. Goode said it provides students a chance to experience curation, technique and networking at the professional level. It’s also a space for the community to engage with art and share creative ideas.
“The impact extends far beyond the walls of the exhibition itself,” he said.
