Miina McCown and Tristan Hackbart/The Broadside 

Each year, Central Oregon Community College holds art exhibitions for students and faculty. In 2020 and 2021, those events were all held online due to COVID-19. This year, the faculty art exhibition, taking place from Jan. 10 to Feb. 4 at the Pence Pickney Gallery was held in-person. This was the first in-person faculty art exhibition since 2019.

The exhibition featured work from ten faculty members of the Visual Art program. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Monday to Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays. This year’s exhibition includes a variety of mediums ranging from paintings to digital design to mixed media pieces.

As for this year’s Student Art Exhibition, which begins annually in early May, it is currently unpredicted whether that event will be held in-person or online. Like the Faculty Art Exhibition, both events were held virtually in 2020 and 2021 with the start of the pandemic. All artworks could be viewed online.

According to Abney Wallace, one of the several art faculties with their art featured in the exhibition, whether or not the next exhibitions will be held in-person is unpredictable. While Wallace assumes that the 2022 Student Art Exhibition will go back to in-person as well, it is still dependent on the ever-changing COVID-19 numbers.

Wallace also expressed his thoughts on possibly returning to in-person art exhibitions at COCC.

“I think for exhibitions going back in-person, it’s crucial for artists to go [and be featured]. I mean, it’s kind of how art functions… Online exhibitions have existed for a long time. But the work that most of us are making is made to be seen in-person, and even if it’s a two-dimensional work, it can’t really, truly be experienced through a screen.”

Additionally, Wallace said that he is hopeful that we can continue to have more access to in-person exhibitions, not just on campus but the world in general, due to the valuable role he feels art plays our society. But for now, he hopes that students will visit the exhibition.

“If you haven’t seen it, you definitely should. There’s really a diverse mix of media and subject matter and approaches to working that I think really highlight the richness of the art department at COCC,” said Wallace.