The Santa Monica College (SMC) Emeritus Art Gallery is pleased to present its annual SMC Emeritus Student Art Exhibition 2020 Online starting June 25. This year, the group exhibition will be presented at smc.edu/emeritusgallery and feature 160 works created by 91 student artists in SMC’s noncredit Emeritus program for older adults.
A free, live Zoom Virtual Launch Event will be held online from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 25. A link at smc.edu/emeritusgallery takes guests directly to the exhibition’s opening reception.
The opening reception will be hosted by Emeritus Associate Dean Dr. Scott Silverman and Emeritus Art Gallery Curator Jesse Benson, who will highlight and discuss a selection of individual artworks. Several of the exhibiting artists will also hold brief discussions about their work.
To see the artworks online at any time after 5 p.m. on June 25, viewers may go to smc.edu/emeritusgallery and click the Emeritus Student Art Exhibition 2020 Online link, available 24 hours a day. The link takes viewers directly to the exhibition album on a Facebook page that is open to public viewing (Facebook account not necessary).
“I’m incredibly proud of our brilliant student artist community at Emeritus for not only accepting the challenge of an online exhibition, but welcoming it as an opportunity for growth,” said Benson. “Because of the students’ willingness to embrace change, we have been able to develop new exhibition possibilities that will supplement our in-gallery experiences in the future. The conceptual and technical advancement of these artists continues to unfold exponentially.”
“Even though we can’t gather in person to appreciate the art produced by our wonderful Emeritus students, the Emeritus Student Online Art Exhibition gives us a chance to still enjoy their art, from the comfort of our own homes,” said Silverman. “An added benefit is that it will give Emeritus and our students a chance to share this art to a broader audience that has not previously had a chance to visit the Gallery.”
SMC’s widely praised Emeritus program — founded by Santa Monica College in 1975 as a noncredit program to serve the lifelong learning interests of older adults — offers more than 120 noncredit adult education classes and special programs that serve more than 3,000 students each year.
More information is available by visiting smc.edu/emeritusgallery or calling (310) 434-4306.
Submitted by Grace Smith
