The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree program at Aquinas is a rigorous undertaking. To obtain a BFA degree, a minimum of 78 credit hours must be completed, 33 of which are simply considered “foundation courses.” For perspective, 33 credit hours alone can nearly fulfill some majors at Aquinas. Students who are impassioned by and dedicated to their artistic creativity enough to pursue the program choose mediums to focus on in the studio and build a portfolio throughout their time at Aquinas for an exhibition held at least once each year in the Gallery of the Art and Music Center on campus.

Dana Freeman, Aquinas art professor and director of the gallery, emphasizes the seriousness and devotion of Aquinas’ BFA students, stating that “great time and care is put into the BFA students' work, and they've been reviewed vigorously by faculty each semester to remain in the program.” Showing artwork, then, is a celebration and fitting reward for years of intense work in the studio.

Opening on January 15, 2012, Michaela Farley and Jaymes Miller, December 2011 AQ graduates, are exhibiting what essentially is the best of their academic and artistic careers thus far. “[Each student’s] show must present a developed, unique ‘voice’, both visually and conceptually,” said Freeman

“Making work is a great way to express yourself. Showing your work lets people into your world and way of thinking,” Miller said of presenting his work to the public. “The ‘voice’ I've been developing has been along the lines of experimentation. I like to take my materials and see how they interact with themselves.”

“The best part about being a student in the BFA program is the care and attention you receive from your professors,” said Miller. “They really want you to finish strong and do the best that you can.”

Freeman describes the show as the “culmination” of the BFA degree. The exhibition presents the apex of Aquinas students’ creativity. Four or five years’ worth of work, thought, and artistic process has gone into the show. Of the show’s significance, Freeman said: “I think the BFA students are expressing the essence of who they are, not necessarily in a narrative, but in terms of their unique aesthetic and conceptual ‘voice’ […] making choices in media, scale, [and] composition that reveal their interest at this point in their artistic development.”

Gallery visitors can expect to experience the students’ voices in large-scale drawings and photography, sculpture, drawings, creations with found objects, and installations.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition opened Sunday, January 15, 2012 with an on-campus reception in the Gallery of the Art and Music Center. The exhibition runs through Friday, February 10 and can be seen during regular gallery hours: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.