Fourth years, Lacia Vogel, Marissa Brown and Avery De Rousie around a makeshift campfire, and a snapshot of Avery's studio

For many people in the community, the only excuse to visit the Fine Arts & Health Building at UBCO occurs annually at the Graduation Exhibition. Although the Grad Show is a crème de la crème exhibition of UBCO’s finest, its white washed walls and buffed floors are a little misleading;  the pristine condition of the building during exhibition does not accurately reflect the year-end mayhem in the few weeks leading up to the show. The artists who grace its corridors give the Fine Arts & Health Building a personality unlike any other building on campus. The life of a fine arts student is not white washed or buffed, but rather messy, disorganized and often fuelled by excessive caffeine and/or tobacco. Being able to visualize how these elements evolve to create a much-anticipated art show is the key to understanding this year’s Twenty Twelve Graduation Exhibition.

Last Saturday, April 7th at 10:07pm, I decided to take my camera for a stroll through the Fine Arts Building to give Oook a taste of the madness. Photographed are the faces of those who will be graduating, those who wish they were graduating, and select studio spaces.

Fourth year, Jeremy Shantz talking resin woes for a video sculpture

Sculptures by Lacia Vogel, accompanied by dust drawings in a stairwell

Third year painter, Nadine Bradshaw making deadlines

Fourth year, Angela Duclos explaining her collage process in her studio

Darren Sim prepping his installation room

Fourth years, Lauren Gemmell and Hanss Lujan talking printing and $1.99 blueberries

Miscellaneous book piles and late night Chinese food

Twenty Twelve runs from April 17-24, 10am-6pm. Reception April 21, 7pm-12am.