If you happened to be in the Viking Union on Nov. 21, a flurry of activity could be heard from the VU gallery. Students and Bellingham locals alike gathered for the reception of “Resistance,” a gallery hosted by the Society of Photographic Education from Nov. 11 to Dec. 6 on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Attendants can view photographs and installations created by Western students Daisy Van Zeyl, Will Story, Lucianna Edenlord, Kady Darlington, Avery Cyan, Chase M. Munsey, Meghan Maloof, Kyle Pettyjohn, Ben Magnus, Max Widjaja, Tyler Jones and Natalie Jones.
The event is being hosted by Avery Robertson, the lead officer for SPE.
“The best part about planning something like this is you can see community support,” said Robertson. “I love it.”
The lead officer for Western’s Society of Photographic Education and event host, Avery Robertson, gives a speech alongside Viking Union Gallery Manager Noah Gray in Western’s Viking Union Gallery during the ‘Resistance’ exhibition reception on Nov. 21, 2024. Attendants engaged and conversed about the artwork throughout reception night. // Photo by Joshua Riley
VU Gallery Manager Noah Gray attributes some of the event's turnout to its prominent location in the Viking Union.
“Even people who don’t know the art [can] come into the gallery all the time and are like ‘wow’.”
Gray described the process behind developing and constructing gallery shows in the Viking Union, highlighting SPE’s increased intentionality and structured organization. As the VU Gallery Manager, Gray curates shows and works with those who approach them
“There’s a lot of freedom,” Gray said.
Natalie Jones’ work was made of photographs attached to hangers and posted on to white drywall. The piece aims to challenge the traditional norms of femininity while chronicling the personal journey surrounding gender and self-expression. // Photo by Joshua Riley
Robertson’s role focuses on making fine art “more accessible to people who wouldn’t necessarily have that chance otherwise.”
Their involvement with SPE began as an act of resistance itself. Roberston recalls Christopher Bianco, the dean of the College of Fine and Performing Arts, denying their request to put up artwork in the Carver Gym.
Things seemed simple from there.
“If we can’t show our art in class, we’re going to do it outside of class,” Robertson said.
Artwork on display includes an installation spotlighting the names of Palestinian casualties of the Israel-Hamas War, photographs of the 2020 George Floyd Protests, commentaries on joy and fleeting emotions and more.
“A lot of us were feeling very stunted by what was happening around the world and there were a lot of emotions in general that people wanted to express,” said Robertson. “So why not show it to people.”
Joshua Riley (he/him/his) is a campus life reporter for The Front this quarter. He's a third-year Public Relations major and Communications minor. Outside of work, Joshua enjoys attending concerts, following new film and music releases and reading. You can contact him at rileyjoshua.thefront@gmail.com.
