Arts & Culture

‘Any Person, Any Study’ in Cornell’s Art World: Diversity and Representation in the Worlds We Make

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Traditionally, Cornell’s gallery space is limited to students pursuing BFA and MFA degrees. The Fine Arts bachelor’s program only accepts about 30 students annually, with MFA in even lower digits (two or three each year); there is no real opportunity for the rest of the student body to show their work in an official capacity. As such, the freshmen BFA students along with faculty sponsor Julianne Hunter have proposed a petition to open the art space to a broader audience and community of Cornell. The proposal, ‘Fresh Perspectives,’ aims to celebrate the creative potential of the diversity of the freshman class of 2028, subverting the expectations of a typical gallery — an exclusionary space representing works by established artists. Serving as the inaugural formal presentation of the freshmen artists at Cornell, this event may prove instrumental in motivating the students and revealing their significant potential.