By Chana Goldstein

Within a recently desolate maze of white-painted narrow hallways, vivid sparks of color and light once again fill the Forum Art Space walls. Earlier this semester, Purchase students were once again joyously gifted the chance to view and experience strongly curated art exhibitions.
The Forum hosts shows for not only visual arts students, but for all Purchase students. This year, according to Forum Director Grace Wenner and artists that participated in the gallery’s shows, there has been a shift in the demographic of students exhibiting their works.
The works of past years’ shows came primarily from visual arts students, with themes overlaying deep and personal tones. Now, there has been more participation from non-visual arts disciplines, such as the Purchase comic book club “Capes,” and a dance major, Maia Surat-Jones, displaying a collection of images and a dance performance. These shows hold a contrasting humorous and relaxed mood.
“I think last year, a lot of the work was people who were in the VA and had bodies of work that had incredibly personal themes,” explained Wenner. These works encompassed themes and motifs of nostalgia and childhood, and some others with themes of female sexuality.
There is an overwhelming consensus among participating students and artists when it comes to the variety and diversity in this year's works on display.
One of the artists who put up shows this semester, Abigail Luis, a senior film major, emphasized this shift in the type of contributing students. “The Forum is bustling at its seams with work from budding artists,” Luis states. “It’s amazing to have a space where you’re welcomed to present work regardless of major. I didn’t know I would ever have the opportunity to showcase my paintings during my college career since I took up a film major.”
Aidan Decker, an artist who put another show, “THROWING THINGS AT THE WALL AND SEEING WHAT HAPPENS,” together with a friend of his, Nat Ruffing, believes that the forum is a space that adapts to any mood desired by its artists and visitors.
"I think the space can hold whatever mood you put into it,” Decker said. “I’ve seen lots of talented artists with very serious art, and the space feels like a regular gallery, but there's been plenty of playfulness as well. Last week’s installation, “Mae's Community Cartoons,” was cozy from its content.” He also states that Wenner, as a director, is immensely accommodating, and the process of setting up and installing the show had worked out just as smooth and steady as needed.

Decker’s partner for the show, Ruffing, a junior painting and photography major, conveys similarly soft feelings for Wenner’s role at the Forum and their helpful demeanor.
“Gracie, the director, is a lifesaver and without their space, I think the show wouldn't be what it became,” said Ruffing. “It's so much more than just a white gallery room—it’s a maze of spaces and hallways and church pews and platforms. This space means so much to me! Definitely a lot more work than I expected. I like the freedom of the space. We can fill it up with just about anything, and that's what we're doing. Lots of photos and paintings and digital imagery, but also interactive sculptures and a projector room.”
This isn’t Ruffing’s first show at the Forum, but some things are different this time around. “It's my first duo show here!” they said. “Most of the galleries I've been in are at the Visual Arts building, so being in a student run space was such a breath of fresh air.”
Mae Shapiro’s “Community Cartoons” show, which ran a bit before Decker and Ruffing’s, held the very same atmosphere of comfort and warmth. Shapiro was an intern at the forum last year and knows the ins and outs of the space.
According to Audrey Redmond, a theater and production and creative writing major, the space held a clear sense of belonging and welcomeness to all visitors.
“I only know Mae from class, but I felt so at home at her show, and I think most people who were there would agree too!” she exclaims. Most of what she liked at the show, among the hospitable environment was the fact that all the works seemed immensely genuine and authentic. “I really loved how her work wasn’t super polished, some of the pieces you could see eraser marks, and outlines of the original sketch.”
Wenner also acquired a team of interns this semester. With flyers and applications around campus, it resulted in a group of about eight, including co-Director Gabriel Hennessy. When talking about the co-director, Wenner explained his work ethic. “He’s the one that paints the walls, paints the floors, and gets his hands dirty,” they said. “Gabriel, the interns, and artists will install a show which usually takes them like two to three days.”

With an all-well and situated site, Wenner contemplates their next steps as director as they approach graduation.
“I'm already thinking about who I'm going to give the position to after I graduate and making sure that this somebody is prepared at passing that information down. It's a lot of ‘what's the right paperwork to submit so I can buy cans of paint’ or stuff like that.”
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