On March 24, Santa Fe University of Art and Design’s Southwest Annex was transformed into a temporary art gallery for Phát Lê, Sarah Rothenthal and Chase Stafford, the first group of seniors in the graduating class of 2016. Their Studio Arts BFA Senior Thesis Exhibition was a huge success, attracting attention from students across departments, as well as members of the Santa Fe community. But, this opening senior thesis exhibition marks the beginning of a change in the way the Studio Arts senior shows are run.

SFUAD’s annual juried show for visual arts, “Blind Faith,” is currently exhibiting at Wade Wilson’s Art Gallery, located at 217 W Water St, Santa Fe, NM 87501, and will be on display through March 11.

From sculpture to photography to drawings, students from the Monte del Sol exhibit their work in the Marion Center for Photographic Arts as part of an annual collaborative exhibit. The show will be up through Feb. 29.

“Being an artist is a selfless thing to do because it’s about sharing perspectives,” Phát Lê says. “I want to tell a story, not just to communicate with my country but also to unify multiple perspectives. I think that’s why I want to be an artist.”

Five SFUAD studio artists preparing to graduate this term show their varied work in Arbitrary Ground.

Junior studio arts major Mike Sutton spends free time in the ceramics studio working on personal projects, such as his pottery. In the photos above, Sutton is shaping a bowl on the pottery wheel. He is new to sculpting but has been a painter for 20 years. “I really enjoy pottery,” Sutton says. “Whenever I work on a project it really makes me slow down and pay attention to what I am...

SFUAD’s Digital Arts students plan to show and share their diverse talents this year.

Le’s current series of work is built upon a newfound interest in math. He uses numbers, primarily binary code, to draw parallels between the real world and the world of the imagination.

All of Gardner’s recent paintings came out of her Layers and Series class. She prefers working from photographs. “Most of my work is very straightforward,” she says. “Like, look at the clock, see what’s missing.”

As the school year comes to a close, student art exhibitions fill up the schedule at SFUAD. “We’re just about hitting the time when the campus will be swarming with art,” says Linda Swanson. “In addition to student shows, you’ll be seeing lots of student work around a lot of different places.”

As a community of artists, we often create connections in the spaces where—and the people with whom—we work. Since Manhattan started filming last March, the painters and artists have been moved from their old work space in the Barracks to primarily use as their main painting facility the second story of Alexis Hall, which is predominantly the graphic design building. Jackalope spoke with a few of the artists about their experiences in the new space. Dylan Tenorio, a junior Studio Arts major, considered the new facility a crowded space with low ceilings. “The space can be a bit crowded, and there are a lot of us here sometimes.” Another concern he brought up is that supplies can go missing, which he says was less common in the old facility. He does, however, enjoy having the digital lab downstairs. “Sometimes I go down there and do some digital work; it’s really convenient.” Omar Lazri, also a junior Studio Arts major, really enjoys the facility’s aesthetic. “It has a very eastern New York look with the bricks and the length,” he notes. But he also really misses the Barrack’s higher ceilings, which allowed him to work with taller pieces. He also thinks that the new facility can get too hot when everyone is there working or doing class. Phat Le, a junior Fine Arts major, really misses his old painting space. “I had grown very attached to the old space,” he says. “I worked there all the time.” Le also thinks that the space is very small for his style, but he is learning to work with it for the time being. “I am used to making big artwork and the older space in Tishman was perfect for me.” Ryan Roberson, a Junior Studio Arts major, thinks that the new space has bad lighting and is much more cramped compared to the old facility. She also spoke about not feeling too comfortable leaving her materials out. “I personally don’t like this new space. The other building was much bigger and had much better lighting.” Kevin Bouton-Scott, a first semester Studio Arts major, never knew the other facility. He is a very reclusive artist who enjoys his privacy—and he really enjoys the space in Alexis Hall. “I can stay here all night to work, often I do.” He would simply advocate for the card readers to work after hours so that he can come work more conveniently. He would also like more lockers to contain materials and...

SFUAD art student Garrett Koch discusses his string theory and approach to his work.

Phat Le is a mixed-media artist specializing in minimalism and conceptual art. He describes himself as “brand new,” but will be exposing his pieces on OVF this Friday. In this interview, Le discusses how his Vietnamese origin and past has inspired him in his artwork, as well as his goal as a...