Marshall University’s Visual Arts Center is ending its first semester with an exhibition created entirely by students.

The building opened its first capstone exhibit Sunday, allowing graduating seniors to show off their work in the remaining weeks of their last semester as undergraduates.

Professor and facilitator Heather Stark said she was excited see her class present their pieces in the new building.

“It was great to see the exhibition happen in such a clean and crisp environment,” Stark said. “It offers a lot more space than the Birke Art Gallery would have, which is great for all of their ending presentations.”

Sophomore Emily Hendricks said the exhibitions placement in the VAC’s first floor gallery made the exhibition a better experience.

“It was exciting to see everyone showing off their art here,” Hendricks said. “The gallery at Smith Hall was small, so this gave them a lot more space to work with.”

This marks the first week of capstone exhibitions for the building. Senior Kelly Cunningham said she knows the opening of the exhibition is something special.

“It really felt good to let people know what I’ve been working on,” Cunningham said. “It’s an honor to have been a part of the first capstone exhibition in the building, and I’m really happy we got to open.”

Students presented their work one-by-one, allowing viewers to get a sense of the students’ hard work.

Kejal Dashi was one of the viewers who came to appreciate the artwork presented by the seniors.

“It was beautiful and well put-together,” Dashi said. “It was really nice to have seen so much effort put in from the students.”

The exhibition includes pieces such as sculptures, videos and paintings.

Stark said her favorite part of the exhibition is the variety of mediums being used.

“I love the diversity of this group,” Stark said. “We have exhibitions from graphic design students, to fibers students and more.”

Hendricks said she enjoyed how the exhibition included a variety of projects and artistic styles.

“It was interesting to see everyone’s different projects,” Hendricks said. “Some of the displays were mesmerizing.”

The exhibition will end Thursday, and the remaining capstone classes will rotate through the last weeks of the fall semester.

The next exhibition will open Dec. 1 at the VAC, and the final exhibition will open Dec. 8.

The exhibitions will be open to the public 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Haley Wade can be contacted at [email protected].