Here comes summer

MFA Graduate Award winner displays art collection for the Ferris community

After submitting a painting to Ferris’ annual art competition for Kendall graduate students, Dustin Rogers received the opportunity to have a solo art exhibition at Ferris’ Fine Art Gallery this fall semester.

For the theme of his exhibition, Rogers decided to convey the feelings people have during the summer. His collection is entitled Summertime. Rogers said it became fairly easy to complete his work for the exhibition because the kids in the neighborhood were outside playing for hours. According to Rogers, this is what proved to be motivational in order for him to continue his work.

“I think many of us have had a group of friends that we played outside with on our summer breaks and maybe still do. Or maybe we feel some isolation during the summer season because we don’t have many friends,” Rogers said.

“This is a theme of what summer feels like, childhood and playtime things some of us don’t get to experience anymore,” said Ferris Fine Art Gallery director Carrie Stermer.

For the last five years, the Ferris Fine Art Gallery has held the Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) Graduate Award Solo Exhibit competition. This contest was designed to support graduate students and to shine some light on the students who attend Kendall College.

“I hope students can enjoy looking at the paintings,” Rogers said. “I was in college for several years and there were times when I just needed to get away from the stress that academics brought.”

Rogers’ work has been displayed in galleries locally and nationally but this is his first solo exhibition. The exhibition will be open to the public in Ferris’ Fine Art Gallery until Saturday, Dec. 17.

More of Dustin Rogers’ work can be viewed at dustinrogersart.wix.com.