Art Affair opened Friday with its special Maple Leaf Festival display showcasing a variety of local art.
“I wanted the gallery to have a homey feel,” said senior Kali Pope, student director of Art Affair.
Professor of Art Inge Balch said the local talent was very impressive for this opening.
“It’s great to see how many artists there are in this community and area,” she said.
Pope said the gallery is displaying photographs, paintings, prints, furniture and assemblage work by seven different artists. The assemblage work is many common items placed together like a collage.
Pope said the Maple Leaf Festival was a big consideration for this opening.
“This particular show was the Maple Leaf Festival show,” she said. “I had several artists approach me wanting to have their work shown in there.”
She said furniture was a large part of the gallery this time because of Maple Leaf.
“We normally have a few tables, but this year we asked the furniture crafter to be the main 3-D artist,” Pope said. “I thought it would fit well into Maple Leaf. They’re things that are useful and interesting.”
Freshman Emily Smith works at Art Affair and said students should drop by.
“We have a lot of photography up right now,” she said. “Mainly pictures of barns and doors. It’s something that’s not normally artistic, but here it’s really cool.”
Balch also suggested students visit the gallery.
“It is one of the few, if not the only gallery operated by the students in the nation,” she said. “Other universities are very envious of us for having it. It’s one of Baker’s great secrets.”
Balch said the gallery is used to teach more than just art.
“It teaches our students how to take care of a gallery as a business,” Balch said.
Pope said most of the items on display are for sale, starting at $39 for small photographs and ranging to about $3,800 for large furniture pieces.