Black-lit paintings, miniature rolling robots and moving wall puppets currently grace the galleries of the Tarble Arts Center for the 2010 Graduate Art Exhibition.

The exhibition, which opened Saturday and will continue until April 25, includes work by graduate students Taylor Bennett, Justin M. Bitner, Kathy Bryant, Michael Caifano, Rebecca Chmielewski, Lauren Curta, Erin Hinz, Candace Manning, Haley Prestifilippo, Narooz Soliman, Michael Atef, Anne Vieux and Tim Zercie.

Michael Watts, the director of the Tarble Arts Center, said the exhibition is an important transitional step for art graduates because it is approached largely as a professional exhibition.

“This is the kind of exhibition experience the students will encounter as professional artists except for the mentoring process afforded by the students’ committees,” Watts said. “So, in some ways, this exhibition is often the student’s first professional exhibition.”

The exhibition is a group thesis in which all students accepted into the studio art master’s program must participate. Students meet with committees throughout the academic year to assist in the development of their art and discuss which works will be presented. Students are also required to make oral defenses of their work to their committees.

Watts said the exhibition is the equivalent of a thesis paper that a student would write in other master’s programs.

“In this case, the research and creative activity undertaken by the students is demonstrated through the art produced and exhibited, rather than through a research paper written,” Watts said.

Curta, whose sculptures are made of objective geometric forms created from cardboard and paper, said participating has been a whirlwind of information and life experience.

“It’s been a wonderful experience getting to know and working with the artists in this exhibition, and it’s amazing to finally see what our hard work can accomplish,” Curta said.

She said her work reflects on her own life and experiences.

“The pieces reflect on order and organization and how that has played a role in organizing my surroundings and personal life,” Curta said.

Caifano, whose series of 10 panels consist of mixed media drawings, said the exhibition has been a valuable learning experience.

“It’s been an amazing experience and real test of what it takes to be successful as an artist,” Caifano said.

Caifano said his work celebrates change and an exploration of individual style.

“It’s a combination of form, value and material that goes through a span of layers that are torn, scarred and abraded,” he said. “Followed by a process of healing and liberation emerges defined features that uniquely characterize each individual panel.”

Vieux, who describes her work as gestural and high-intensity explorations of color, said the exhibition is representative of a year’s worth of work, culled down to the most successful pieces.

“It was a lot of hard work, but the staff at the Tarble made the experience of installing the show a cinch,” Vieux said. “It was a really great experience and I’m excited to have everyone in to see the show.”

Chris Kahler, an associate professor of art and graduate coordinator, said while he hopes graduate students gain valuable experience and confidence in their abilities from participating, undergraduates can also learn much from the exhibition.

“I hope that students will be observant of the different content and visual solutions that are being explored by the graduate students,” Kahler said. “What I especially enjoy about our MA program is the diversity of styles and interests that our students investigate.”

An informal reception to celebrate the exhibition will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free and the public is invited to meet the artists and speak with them about their art.

Emily Reid can be reached at 581-7942 or ejreid2@eiu.edu.