At the Women in Art show, artists of all ages working across a wide variety of mediums came together to celebrate each other’s work.

The opening reception in October saw 50 works by 40 artists displayed in Seton Hill’s Harlan Gallery with painting, photographs, sculpture, and pieces created in yarn, fabric, and other materials.

As the artists and guests mingled, two Seton Hill students watched the crowd with special interest. Juniors Ashley LaRocque and Kenzi Rullo worked behind the scenes with gallery director Emily Franicola and art history faculty member Ron Hawker to put this year’s exhibition together.

“Having this class as an independent study was definitely a challenge,” said Ashley, a fine art major from Greensburg. “It placed a lot of responsibility on our shoulders as to properly representing and creating a cohesive experience, but Kenzi and I were both willing to take on the challenge!”

“Being a part of an independent study for a class like this allowed us to dive deep into what it means to be a woman artist and the role women play in the art world. We had great discussions and took time to carefully look through each and every submission to curate a show that feels whole,” said Kenzi, an art history major with minors in Chemistry, 2D Studio Art, and Data Analytics from Latrobe.

Throughout the course, the two met with Hawker in addition to doing independent readings and research on the history and the mediums historically used by women.

“Ron Hawker made the process more of a creative game rather than a required assignment,” Ashley said. “He truly allowed us to look at the art from a viewer's perspective, what its context was, how it was made – and the significance of its place in art history came naturally from his guidance.”

While neither Ashley nor Kenzi had curated a show before, they each brought their unique experience to the project.

Ashley had done countless exhibitions as an artist but had never been behind the scenes. Women in Art 2023 was her first college art show. Even as an artist, she remembered the community that was built on the night of the opening – something she kept in mind while curating this year’s show.

Kenzi had experience conducting curatorial research for two exhibitions that will happen next year during her internship this past summer at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art.

“When I started this process at the beginning of the semester I knew it would be a unique experience, but I didn't expect just how much I would learn in the face of those challenges,” Kenzi said. “It proved to me just how much I have grown as an artist and art historian. I can appreciate and learn from each of the pieces in the show in order to reach an end goal.”

Along with the guidance they received from Hawker, they also worked with Franicola to envision and lay out the space.

“Going into this, I was expecting to be more overwhelmed by the process of putting the artwork together in the gallery space and finding the connection between the pieces,” Kenzi said. “Surprisingly, Emily, Ashley, and I were able to see the work fall together quite quickly and seamlessly.”

“Working in a one-on-one style with Emily was such a blessing,” added Ashley. “Although creating a show with two student curators is definitely a big ask, she put her faith in us and let us take the reins.”

On opening night, the student curators were able to see their vision come to life and artists and visitors interact with the works throughout the space, bringing the women from the show together in one space.

“The opening reception was truly magical,” Ashley said. “Talking to older artists and learning about their passion and experience was wonderful.”

“Getting to meet the artists and see people from the community attend the exhibition was a beautiful moment, as it reminded me of what our gallery is meant to do,” Kenzi said. “Listening to the artists talk about their process and how they feel as women artists was a truly memorable experience.”