Twelve AACC students gathered on Nov. 16 at the Graduating Student Art Show to showcase their artwork to members of the community and 13 four-year universities.

“It is an opportunity for not only students who are graduating, but also people that are really ready to show their work,” Chris Mona, an organizer and an art professor, said.

The students participating in the annual showcase said they are pleased with the exposure and opportunities they have had at AACC.

“I feel that AACC’s art program is a really great one and offers just as much as other schools do,” said second-year dance student Alexandra Flanagan, one of the participating artists. “[The showcase] is a great opportunity to get some exposure, and most colleges don’t have such an event.”

The students in the showcase set up their work along a section of a hallway devoted to each of them in the CADE Building.

They were free to design their displays any way they wanted to show their individuality and personalities.

“I didn’t just pick out works that I thought I liked, but [also ones] I thought would be really good, and something I was really comfortable with showing,” Marisa Evangelista, a second-year visual arts major and a participant, said.

Other artists used different thought processes when deciding how to set up their displays.

“I got all my artwork together that I had, finished working on some pieces and laid out the design before I left my house,” Vincente Hager, a second-year visual design major, said.

“There wasn’t that much preparing,” Alexis Economides, a second-year transfer studies major, said. “Hanging everything and printing everything, that was kind of time consuming.”

After the setup ended, visitors could walk around and see the students’ artwork.

“I’m impressed by the amount of good art that came from the school,” Tom Mattingly, a second-year photography major, said.

Second-year business and dance student Shawn Cook said he was impressed with the show.

“Honestly, I’m really blown away,” he said. “They have so much talent, and I love how they use the different textures and they just take risks and break barriers.”

“I was impressed by the individuality of bringing out their craft,” said Sheila Murchison, the mother of Brandon Hamilton, a fourth-year photography student and an artist in the show. “It shows how they wanted to display themselves. It shows exactly what the school can bring out in each student.”