The University Art Gallery is hosting the Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibit now through Saturday, April 28

After several years of studies, several art students’ culminated knowledge is going out for the public to see.

Works from Amanda Abraham, Jillian Bourbina, Caleb Guthrie and Kait Harris will be on display in the University Art Gallery from April 16 through April 28.

A free artist reception will be held there on Thursday, April 19, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

Prior to submitting, each fine arts senior was required to perform an oral defense for the faculty in the department where they discussed artwork they wanted to display.

During the defense, professors prompted artists with questions on why each piece was worthy of being shown.

Afterward, professors decided whether or not a student should be featured in the show.

Abraham made it through the defense and is showcasing three series of photography.

Her longest series on exhibition, “Ghost Town,” comes from a road trip she took from Michigan to California to do a summer internship.

Nearly-abandoned cities with declining populations, such as Detroit, inspired her during this project.

With her images, she said she intends to shock and awe her audience.

She is influenced by Tim Burton, an artist behind “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and his whimsical and witty methods of showing dark subjects.

Bourbina is also showing three series of photography work.

Her experience in film separates her work from Abraham’s and her experience in digital photography.

“It’s a way for me to communicate,” Bourbina said.

Originating from her fear of horses, Bourbina captured images reflecting it in one of her series.

“I had a couple of bad experiences with horses,” Bourbina said. “People usually depict horses as every girl’s dream, but it’s different for me.”

Photographers such as Ansel Adams and Jerry Uelsmann influenced Bourbina’s work.

Her other series involve color studies and music double exposed on landscapes.

Guthrie is featuring 20 pieces of graphic design work he did for Expresso Milano, a coffeehouse in downtown Midland.

Looking at the competition, he updated the business’s logo and style of advertising to reach its old audience and a new clientele.

“I approached it from a very business standpoint like an actual design team would go in and do,” Guthrie said.

He created work in a minimalist and futurist style to create energy and dynamic shapes.

Harris is spotlighting 16 of her printmaking projects that include relief prints, etchings and some digital media.

“To me, it’s easy to focus on simplifying and abstracting shapes,” she said.

Much of her work bases itself on feminine figures in her life.

Her style is influenced by artists such as Henri Matisse, Gustav Klimt and Georgia O’Keeffe.

Her favorite pieces include “Child’s Pose” and “Called Within” because of its strength in composition.

Each took their best works and narrowed them down with aid from faculty.

To select pieces, artists chose work that showcased not only their composition strengths, but also pieces that tied in with their other work in the exhibit.

During her “Ghost Town” series, Abraham set a goal to capture 10,000 photographs throughout her trip.

Although she didn’t reach her goal she is happy with the photos she took.

“Out of the 3,500 I did take, I’m really proud of the 28 I can show,” Bourbina said.