Exit Gallery hosts “Ephemera” themed pop-up installation

Across from the ballrooms in the Strand Union Building (SUB), there is a white room that houses the Exit Gallery (EG). Its glass doors are frequently open to allow passersby — and hopefully visitors — to view the artwork within.

The EG was created around 1972 and is now run by Associated Students of MSU’s Arts and Exhibits program. The gallery is managed by student employees and features events and exhibits throughout the year.

However, the EG holds an annual pop-up gallery based on a particular theme. This year’s theme is “Ephemera,” which means “anything impermanent, temporary or transitory,” according to the EG. 

The exhibit features a range of unique art pieces. The only requirements for submissions were that artists used a supplied canvas and provided a title and a description of the media they used.

Participants were given creative freedom to communicate their message. In the gallery, some pieces can be seen employing a broad range of mediums, from tea bags to ceramics. 

Once their artwork was complete, students or faculty members then dropped their pieces back off at the EG. Some artists chose to remain anonymous, but most provided their name to be displayed below their piece in the gallery. This year, about 30 artists participated.

“I think my favorite part is getting to meet the artists who have their shows here, whether it be students, grad students, faculty [or] groups of artists,” said Lara Freeburg, the assistant gallery director of Art and Exhibits for the EG. 

Many of the artists communicated their permanent ideas using a temporary medium. Studio art student Jack Schnepf was one of the artists who submitted a piece this year. He titled his work “When ego corrupts, what will remain?” The piece featured a textured grayscale image created using mixed media. 

The piece also contains a hidden image, according to Schnepf. “There’s a bobcat hidden within the piece, and it is a deconstructed landscape that is just crumbled,” he said. “When I think of ego corrupting, it’s kind of that idea of you looking only at yourself.”

“I thought [the exhibit] was fantastic,” said gallery visitor Jillian Lundgren. “I loved seeing how they kind of used the boxes in a lot of different ways and how it was very unique for each one.” 

In addition to the annual pop-up, aspiring artists are also encouraged to enter the biannual Art Market held every spring and fall. Students, faculty and staff can sell their art during the two-day showing in the SUB ballrooms. 

“It’s really cool because they don’t have to be there all day and they sell their art through us,” Freeburg said. Although slots for the spring show are closed, applications for the fall show can be found on the EG’s Instagram profile.

The “Ephemera” pop-up exhibit will be running until April 4. The EG is open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

To keep up to date with the EG’s, visit its Instagram: @exitgallery.