The latest art exhibition at Binghamton University is now open, titled “Everything I’ve Never Said,” which features the work of 15 seniors in BU’s Art and Design bachelor’s of fine arts (BFA) program. Much of the work produced is a culmination of the memories, experiences and struggles of the student artists creating them. Mediums range from drawing and painting, to yarn work, to sculptures. With a diverse collection of effort that can be seen on display, there is sure to be something for everyone.

The exhibition opened on April 4 with an opening reception where friends, family and the community gathered to celebrate the first day of the show. The artwork was vast and diverse. Between sculptures made out of books, crocheted works hanging from the ceiling and classic drawings and paintings, nearly every form of medium is featured in the exhibition.

Celebrations of the exhibition opening continued on April 8 for artists talks, where the featured student artists each had the opportunity to speak about their pieces in the exhibition. The artists shared their inspirations, processes and interpretations of their work at the talks. Santiago Parra, a senior with an individualized major in multimedia design and programming, shared the inspiration behind his piece titled “Bandoi,” a video projection piece created with the idea of memory and abandoned spaces in the Binghamton area.

“I was really inspired by materials, especially the ones that you find in abandoned spaces, metals, steel, plastic and paper and how it can be so easily destroyed,” Parra said. “The kind of haphazard feelings of being in an abandoned place, [and] how it could be hazardous. Everything is falling on top of one another. I wanted to capture that memory of having been in a space like that.”

While most had their own interpretations of their work, as the artists encouraged viewers to find their own meaning in each piece. Each unique piece allows viewers to gain different perspectives and understandings of the art in front of them. Fahim Rahman, a senior majoring in graphic design, created his own board game. The piece is titled “Triptych,” where he attributed much of his inspiration to culture and identity.

“I like to think of it as a culmination of all my works and ideas, trying to integrate all opposing aspects,” Rahman said. “I think, as a designer, I call myself a unifier of sorts. I like to unify different aspects of my identity and themes that I value. And so for this board game, I unified my ideas of culture and identity and [the] burden of community into a board game that’s totally not playable, but I think looks cool and shows great ideas.”

The BFA program is an intensive curriculum with concentrations in a specific art major. Students have a heavier focus on their specific majors rather than liberal arts as a whole and dedicate hours to training in their preferred craft. Samantha Ballin, a senior double-majoring in art and design and English, shared her thoughts and experiences of the BFA program.

“I really enjoy the BFA program because you could see all these disciplines come together in a class that you normally don’t get to experience,” Ballin said. “I would say that you wouldn’t get to experience this [in] the [bachelor of arts]. Not enough people do it, and this is a pretty large class for a [BFA] program. It was really great just watching it all come together and seeing us progress to this point.”

“Everything I Never Said” is a reflection of the featured artists’ work over their years in the BFA program. It not only displays the efforts that made this exhibition possible, but all the effort that has gone into the students’ time at BU. Gabriella Harbord, a senior majoring in graphic design, shared what being a part of the exhibition means to her.

“This exhibition serves as a culmination of four years of learning technique and developing our own individual conceptual ideas,” Harbord wrote in an email. “It feels great to share our pieces with the department and our friends/family.”

The exhibition is currently up in the Elsie B. Rosefsky Memorial Art Gallery. It will run through April 18 and is free and open to the public.