Most students rush past art pieces on their way to class, barely glancing at the massive steel forms, interactive artworks or numerous paintings that fill their school’s campus. But for those who slow down, the art reveals something deeper about how we move, think and connect.
“We have an amazing collection,” said Kristina Podesva, a Western Washington University art professor since 2019. “It's been considered in the top 10 in the whole of the United States for campus art collections.”
Wuyi Waoters, a fourth-year international business major, explained that she doesn't take too much time admiring the art on campus. Much more of her energy is spent walking around them while she rushes to class.
“I feel like Western is kind of just a mind your business, go to class kind of culture when schools in session,” Waoters said.
For faculty who teach and interpret the campus collection, that hurried relationship is exactly what the art is meant to challenge.
Podesva explained how she teaches directly from the art on campus and challenges students to slow down, listen to their bodies, their environment and learn from reflecting on the art around them.
“These are the modes of being and living in the world that I think bring us epiphanies, new inventions or new ways to do things,” Podesva said. “The value for students is that it helps them tune into parts of their thinking to come up with genius ideas or ways of improving our experience in the world.”
Western Museum Educator and Community Engagement Specialist Zoë Fejeran said that students looking to connect with the art on campus are always welcome at the admission-free Western Gallery, to learn from or enjoy the art on display.
“Whether or not they like the artist or artists themselves, it opens up a lot of areas for conversation, and ultimately, it's all about expression of ideas and culture and technique. There's a lot of good entryways to conversation through public artwork,” Fejeran said.
The Western Gallery’s current exhibit, “At the Core: Recent Paintings by Barbara Sternberger,” runs through Dec. 13. The exhibit gives students and the Bellingham community free access to a selection of 30 oil paintings by Sternberger.
The Western Gallery has an exhibit each season, as well as numerous events throughout the year, such as an upcoming jazz performance being held on Dec. 4, inspired by Sternberger’s paintings.
The gallery’s collections room houses works of many mediums, which are installed around campus throughout the year, or loaned to professors for classroom use.
Even aside from the gallery, Western’s art and sculpture collection is large, but also accessible. Students have many ways to learn about or connect with the works on campus.
Students can learn more about Western’s campus art, art events and exhibitions through the Western Gallery site.
Podesva also recommended auditing or taking her Visual Dialogue class to students who wish to learn more about art and the works on campus.
“They will say, ‘I didn't think that contemporary art was going to have anything to say to me about my life or what I study,’ but in fact, it touches every aspect of people's lives and almost all the subjects that we study at Western,” Podesva said.
Willow Jacobson (she/her) is a campus life reporter for The Front this quarter. She is a second-year marketing major and public relations minor. When she's not working on a story she likes to read or watch movies. You can reach her at willow.thefront@gmail.com.
