Academics

Students curate intersectional exhibit showcasing Oglethorpe LGBTQ+ artists

| Grant Utter

The second installment of the student-focused exhibition, “Oglethorpe’s Portfolio: Art by Students” opened recently in the Conant Performing Arts Center. Students Sophia Sobrino ’25 and Nicole Buruse ’23 co-curated this year’s program — called “Intersectionality” — which exhibits art created exclusively by LGBTQ+ artists at Oglethorpe University.

The exhibition features 13 works, in a variety of artistic styles and mediums, from seven student artists:

Kaitlyn Terrell ’23
Elijah Istre ’22 
Chloe Clemensen ’25 
Morgan Davis ’25
Ethan Crites ’23
Anna Vick ’25
Abi Wilson ’23

Sophia Sobrino '25 hangs art in "Oglethorpe's Portfolio"

Sophia Sobrino ’25 hangs art for “Oglethorpe’s Portfolio”

“Being the second installment of ‘Oglethorpe’s Portfolio’ and given the current political climate towards the LGBTQ+ community, such as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, I knew that it was so important to have a safe space to honor the queer community at Oglethorpe,” says Buruse in a curator’s statement.

“As a queer artist myself, I believe in the importance of fostering community and discussion through art,” adds Sobrino.

Just last year, UPS invited Sobrino to be one of four artists featured in the their Hispanic Heritage Month Exhibition, which was featured in the company’s corporate headquarters in Atlanta. Additionally, Sobrino received an invitation from LAA exhibition juror Adisde Yolanda Handal Gamundi for a solo exhibition at the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta, which was on view last October. She also sits on the student diversity committee at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art.

Buruse has been working with the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art as a student exhibitions coordinator, helping to expand the museum’s exhibitions to areas of campus like Hearst and Lupton Hall. After graduating next year, Buruse will be attending Mercer University to obtain their master’s degree in K-12 education.

This free exhibition will be on view in the Conant Gallery through May 17, 2022. Hear from the co-curators in the video below!

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