The Student Artery marks one-year anniversary with student-run exhibition

During the Student Artery gallery’s one-year anniversary show, the students who shaped it reminisced about their journey while holding high hopes for the gallery’s future.

The November exhibition, “Two Point Oh,” is the fourth of the school year. The last of the gallery’s founding members are preparing to leave Chapel Hill.

“I would hope that a year from now we are still here and doing things more creative than we are right now,” said senior Juliet Sperling, gallery co-director. “(The Artery) is going to be in new hands, and I hope that brings a lot of new inspiration to it.”

Displaying a collection of strictly student work, the gallery shows off a unique range of artistic styles each month.

From paint projects to installation work to video art, they all come together to build upon previous shows, despite the lack of a set theme.

“We try to keep elements of the last show and build off of them for the next show with the new art we get,” said senior Natalia Davila, co-director and a founder of the Artery.

This month’s featured artist is Artery curator Kal Fadem. For him, the show serves as a bittersweet benchmark. This will be Fadem’s final show in the gallery prior to graduating in December.

“It’s kind of weird. It’s been a crazy ride with very cool people,” Fadem said. “I’m going out into the world to make art in a non-academic environment and I think that (the Artery) has really taught me to have a do-it-yourself attitude about (my work).”

Currently, “Two Point Oh” features the works of first-time presenters like Davila, as well as Artery regulars like Peter Pendergrass, Matt Jones and Molly Brewer.

Fadem served as the summer director and was integral in making the showcase what it is today, Davila said.

“This marks a transition in our art-making — we had more traditional works, kind of more boring stuff,” Fadem said. “I was put in charge for the summer and I said, ‘I’m gonna make it a little more open, a little more engaging, a little more edgy.’”

The art was more varied, following Fadem’s aims, as the Artery continues to promote an environment for student artists trying to hone their skills and find a place to display their work.

“We get some good artists and I give them the spiel of, ‘This space is yours, do what you want to do with it,’” Fadem said. “There are a lot of individual works, but we’re still very conscious about what each other is making. You kind of have to step it up to keep up.”

Davila — who is the last active original founder of the Artery — and Sperling will be following Fadem as they graduate in May.

“Our last space was more of an exercise in what a formal gallery should look like,” Sperling said. “That was a good way to start, and having that experience we’ve been able to expand it into something more unconventional.”

Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.