Northern Michigan University’s School of Art and Design student Theodore DeVoe’s piece made of mixed media on paper, “Woolgathering,” is pictured. Works created by DeVoe and other NMU seniors will be displayed in the virtual exhibition that starts Monday.

MARQUETTE — The end of every semester at Northern Michigan University’s School of Art and Design is marked by the senior exhibition, which allows graduating seniors to present their final projects in the DeVos Art Museum on NMU’s campus.

But this semester’s show will be exhibited a bit differently.

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, NMU’s Winter 2020 Senior Exhibition will be held virtually through an online exhibition space that launches Monday.

“Students were given the option to participate or not, since they did not have access to the studios like they normally would. And 44 of the 47 students elected to participate in the virtual exhibition,” said Emily Lanctot, director and curator of the DeVos Art Museum. “On the exhibition site, each student will have a spot where people can read their statements and look at their art work. There will be photos of the students — just like you would see in the gallery — and we will also still be giving awards to three deserving students as well.”

Graduating seniors will present their work from all areas of the school, including photography, digital art, illustration, ceramics, metalsmithing/sculpture, furniture design and more.

“We’re really excited to celebrate these students. They also had kind of a hiccup in the semester. Normally, they’re at school and they’re able to work in the studios and now some of them have had to go home. Some are no longer in Marquette and don’t have access to the tools in the studio that they had, or at least not the same kind of access. Some of them were able to bring things home with them,” Lanctot said. “And so they really picked up speed and got all their stuff turned in and finished their work as part of the completion of their degree.”

The exhibit offers students a professional development experience as they are able to display their work in an exhibit — often for the first time — and receive feedback from a broader audience overall, allowing them to grow as artists, she added.

The Friends of the DeVos organization and NMU faculty commend three students with gold, silver and bronze awards which come with $500, $250 and $125 cash prizes, respectively.

Lanctot encouraged all to visit the online exhibit once it’s launched, to ask students questions about their artwork via the platform and to appreciate how important art is in our lives.

“I think people in the community really appreciate seeing what students are making as they leave NMU, as they’re about to begin their careers. They’ve sort of had four years to experiment, play, fail and totally succeed, so the work that we see in the exhibition is exciting. It’s exciting work,” Lanctot said. “Go on the website, there will be an opportunity to reach out to an artist, ask them about their practice. Some of the students will definitely be receptive to that. And also they’re starting their careers. They’re launching their careers and it’s really important for them to understand how the public views their work and why it’s important to the community. It’s a great way to be inspired. It’s a great way to see what’s happening in our community and it’s a great way to celebrate this future generation of artists.”

A short awards ceremony will be held for faculty, students and invited supporters. The awards will be recorded and shared on the museum’s social media platforms. To view the exhibit, visit http://art.nmu.edu/seniorshow.

Trinity Carey can be reached at tcarey@miningjournal.net.