Students display growth through art show

Recent Eastern New Mexico University graduate Mikaela Lombardo will be showing her flesh pottery and murals at the Show Me Your Venus art exhibition at the Yam Theater throughout this week.

The exhibition is a collaborative effort among Lombardo, who heads the group, and five of her university friends comprised of graduates and graduating seniors. Lombardo said the exhibition is about taking classic, traditional art and bringing it into a contemporary setting.

Jillian Holbert: Portales News-Tribune

Amber Gutierrez, left, and George Wallace take care of final details before the launch of their art exhibit Show Me Your Venus at the Yam Theater. The student art exhibit will be open from Tuesday through Friday this week.

"I just wanted to do something that showed my growth and the other amazing people that I've met in Portales and what we can do," said Lombardo.

Each person in the group is responsible for something in the show whether it be designing the layout of the gallery, building sculpture stands, networking with other artists and potential galleries, getting posters, booklets and social media ready for advertising.

George Wallace serves as the networking agent for the show and he will be presenting Chinese teapots at the gallery.

Jillian Holbert: Portales News Tribune

A Native American inspired piece by Mario Aguirre is displayed at the Show Me Your Venus art exhibit at the Yam Theater.

Wallace said that he is already looking for places to move Show Me Your Venus in Arkansas, Texas and Colorado. He intends to get other artists to show their work in the exhibit to replace pieces that get sold.

"It will be a lifetime project," said Wallace. "Artists have to make work and they have to exhibit and they have to sell so it's really the beginning of our careers."

Amber Gutierrez will be showing some paintings in the art show and acts as the group's gallery manager. At ENMU, Gutierrez was the Runnels Gallery intern and used her previous experience to organize the new exhibit. In the future Gutierrez wants to get a job in Albuquerque doing something art-related.

Show Me Your Venus will be the first professional art exhibit at the Yam Theatre in which the students will take part, and most of them have known each other since their freshman year at ENMU.

"Transitioning from the friend to working relationship has been hard at times because you hate to boss your friends around but everyone realizes that we're just pushing each other to achieve what we want in life," said Lombardo.