At 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 12, Coburn Gallery opened its doors to the public for the Senior Art Exhibition.  

The Senior Exhibition shows beautiful art pieces of varied techniques but there is something that goes beyond the eye sight that these art pieces enclose.

The digital art pieces of Mary Jean Ferreti, a non-traditional student, represent how art can be a healing tool for many.

Ferreti retired a couple years ago after having a long career as an educator. She did her master’s degree in Illinois and worked for the Alzheimer’s Association. Right before she retired she facilitated painting sessions in a few nursing homes. 

Art has always been something that she was interested in.  Today, her art classes not only helped her explore her creative side but they also helped her deal with the sickness of her husband.  

“Four years ago my husband was diagnosed with a very serious, aggressive cancer,” said Ferretti.  “After surgery, chemo, and many trips to the library for hundreds of books for him and me to read through recovery and a very quiet house, Cynthia Petry urged me to take a class.”

The Senior Art Exhibition is an event that has been held in the Coburn Gallery for innumerable years.

Cynthia Petry, head of the gallery and adjunct art professor, believes the exhibition plays an important role in students’ future career.

“Students need to understand what it means to be a professional artist when they leave campus,” said Petry. “They have to have the ability to know this and this is definitely one way to do it.”

All the art pieces displayed in the exhibition represent years of hard work. They represent the late nights of joy and frustration, which inspired these young artists. The best pieces of art from seniors are hung on those white walls.

Randi Schimmoeller is proud of all the effort and passion she had put in all of her print making pieces. 

The theme that Schimmoeller projected in her art is something that she has been carrying in her life.

“I struggle a lot with anxiety so throughout college it is something that kept coming back in my work because, when you have persistent anxiety, its overwhelming how much it takes over your life,” said Schimmoeller.  

Schimmoeller was able to put her thoughts and feelings of anxiety in a more tangible way so they were easier for her to understand.