SUNY Oswego art students anticipating bachelor's degrees in May will display their work in three shows, starting with Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition I on April 4 in Tyler Art Gallery.

A free public reception for the artists in BFA I will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 7, in Tyler Hall. The exhibition will run through April 16.

BFA Exhibition II and the Bachelor of Arts (in art) Exhibition will start April 25 and conclude May 10 in, respectively, Tyler Art Gallery and in the main lobby of Penfield Library. The reception for BFA II will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 28, in Tyler Hall lobby; for the BA Exhibition, the reception is 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 5 in Penfield's lobby.

BFA candidate Jennifer Varvaro said the opportunity to display her best work comes with mixed feelings, as evidenced by her theme, "Three Phases Known as J.E.N." The name-as-acronym stands for "joyful, emotional and nervous," reflecting experiences she has had in life.

The exhibition "is very hard, but extremely exciting -- the show is your exit from Oswego; it's bittersweet," said Varvaro.

The Lynbrook, Long Island, resident said the BFA program is structured "to motivate each student to try all aspects of art, to push you to get out of your comfort zone." Varvaro focused on painting until mentor and professor Juan Perdiguero, in an advanced drawing class, introduced her to working with powdered graphite. 

"Juan is very passionate about his students. He puts in the time to mentor -- he changed my experience," she said. "He pushes you to reach your highest potential; he cares about your experience as you journey through the art program."

This semester's other BFA candidates, all of whom will take part in one exhibition or the other as part of their degree requirements, include Chelsea Burgett, Starquasya Daniels, Melissa Digiovanna, Matias Garcia, Nicholas Greco, Miranda Guarno, Brandon Holmes, Zachary Holt, Dicarri Jean, Ricardi Jean, Cassandra Kaiser, Donavon King, Ella Kikkert, Brittany Koch, Trevor Krencik, Jessica Kummrow, Mark Linkletter, Daniella Melita, Alex Monachino, Margaret Murphy, Emily Nestor, Alyssa Schock, Austin Smith, Allison Stango and Claire Wajda.

Tyler Art Gallery, home of the two BFA exhibitions, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

Voluntarily showing their work in the BA Exhibition are Amanda Adams, Alyssa Barrett, Kasie Ko, Jiyoung Lee, Nick Lewandowski, Dion Matthews, J.P. Narcisse, Erik Pedersen, Meaghan Quinn, Daniela Rosario, Sheridan Seward, Andrew Torak and Madison Tinney. 

Penfield Library and its BA Exhibition display will be open 7:45 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 7:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays.

For more information, contact Tyler Art Gallery Director Michael Flanagan at 315-312-2112 or michael.flanagan@oswego.edu.