Spring semester is here and for most students at Gustavus that means thinking about homework, hoping the weather gets nicer, and thinking about their plans for next fall. For senior Music and Art majors, spring means preparing for their final performances and presentations.

Seniors who are majoring in Art submit some of their artwork to be judged by professors who will decide if it will be shown in the upcoming Senior Art Exhibition at the Hillstrom Museum of Art. The exhibition will be open from May 2 through May 31, with an opening reception on May 2 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Financial Economics and Art Studio double major Thi Hoang is looking forward to her opportunity to participate in a formal exhibition. Hoang has been involved in art since she was young, and plans to continue with it throughout her life.

“My parents would put me through art classes and things like that to get creative juices flowing,” Hoang said. “I just kind of continued with it because I really enjoy it.”

Hoang began focusing more on photography and different aspects of conceptual photography in college. Her part in the exhibit will include much of her past photography. She has a concept of illusion and perspective in her photos. Hoang also hopes to have some of her paintings in the exhibition.

“I really like the idea of illusion and how the eyes can trick you,” Hoang said. “I really enjoy doing art just for the heck of it; just art for art’s sake. It’s very relaxing and it helps me focus on other things. The reason I really enjoy creating different types of art is because I enjoy doing it and I want to portray and give others my ideas visually.”

The Senior Show is one of the first formal exhibitions that these students will be participating in. It is giving them the opportunity to show off their work in the professional world. The exhibit will be open to the public, allowing a wide variety of people to see the students’ work. This final project is preparing them for a future in the art world.

“I like it because others can see my work,” Hoang said. “I really enjoy listening to people talking to each other who are viewing artwork, because there’s so many things that come from what different people see, what they perceive, and what feedback they can give you. Having my work shown in such a public place, I have more opportunities for feedback, which will improve my work, and allow me to develop even further.”

Hoang hopes to combine her majors together in the future when it comes to a profession. Ideally, she would like to become an art broker. She also plans to continue producing her own art.

Senior music majors will be spending their time rehearsing for their senior recitals. These students have been working towards these performances since they have been studying music at Gustavus.

Eric Pothen, a music education major and a Baritone singer, will be presenting his voice recital on April 12 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Jennessa Runia, a biology major and Soprano singer, will present her voice recital on March 20 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Both recitalists will be held in the Bjorling Recital Hall. The senior recitals are free and open to the public.

Pothen, who received the Presser Music Award as a junior at Gustavus, has been involved in music from a young age, taking piano lessons and studying voice in high school. He is a member of the Gustavus Choir and G-Sharp, the men’s acapella group at Gustavus. In his recital, Pothen will be presenting a wide range of performances including a piece by Bach, a duet, a performance by G-Sharp, and Rebecca Ihnen, a junior music major, on oboe. He will be accompanied by pianists Bonnie Jorgensen and Kacie Foster.

“I’m looking forward to working with everyone in the show,” Pothen said. “It will be the culmination of all of my musical experiences at Gustavus.”

The senior recitals are a way for students to showcase their talent and show how they have improved and grown as musicians during their time at Gustavus.

“It’s basically a way for everyone to show off all of their hard work,” Pothen said. “I think it’s a really bittersweet way for the individual to be able to perform in front of their peers and for others as well just because music has played such a large part in their lives.”

Pothen hopes to teach a high school choir in the future.

“Music feeds the soul,” Pothen said. “It just speaks in ways that words can’t.”

Runia has been working with music since she was in 5th grade. She participated in band throughout middle and high school and continued to study vocal music in college. She has been involved with the Lucia Singers and Choir of Christ Chapel at Gustavus. Runia will be accompanied by junior pianist Emily Rudquist at her performance.

“I think my favorite part is to provide music to other people,” Runia said. “Music can do a lot of great things.”

Runia is expecting to have fun during her performance and share her gift with the people attending. She is also expecting that the recital will give her more confidence for when she performs in the future.

“It’s to make a capstone for what I have done throughout middle school, high school, and college because it’s been a long time and I just think it’s a really great way to show everyone how far you’ve come,” Runia said.

-Kim Krulish