Students and guests gathered outside the Fullerton College Art Gallery, munching on pita bread and hummus while waiting for Art Gallery Director Carol Henke to open the doors to officially kick off this semester’s first art exhibition.

Art Gallery design students, wearing staff tags, milled about the room answering questions about the artwork and making sure that guests avoided walking into free standing pieces.

The exhibition takes months of organizing before the doors open to the public. Henke explained that Art Department staff started planning the show in May.

“Staff submitted pieces [for the show] two weeks before the semester started,” Henke said. “It takes a couple of weeks to hang the pieces and design the lighting.”

The faculty exhibition runs every other year to allow for time on the calendar for the permanent collection. All of the art in this exhibition are brand new pieces.

“It was all Carol and Bill work this time,” said Manny Ortiz, art gallery student. “They showed us how to handle each piece with gloves, how to hang the pieces at eye level and set up lighting. The next show will be ours [the students].”

Robert Jensen, dean of Fine Arts thanked guests for coming and encouraged them to come back and visit any time. He emphasized that the instructors here are working, well known artists and that the department is what it is because of the staff.

Rajen Vurdien, Fullerton College president, continued the love, telling students that have chosen Fullerton College that they have made a “premier choice.”

On display is a great representation of the courses the Art Department has to offer, 3D computer animation video, graphite pencil drawings, colorful acrylic paintings and bronze sculptures. Guests were often seen by the interactive pieces by Jim Nickell: The Devil Made Me and Gato Space Ball.

Nickell was posted by the door, tallying the incoming visitors, by 6 p.m. the number had passed 200.

According to Henke, she said is a good showing for only being halfway through the opening.

Instructors Nancy Schrieber-Smith and Michelle Van Ry stood by their pieces, speaking to any guests that had questions.

The Art Gallery is located on the first floor of building 1000 in Room 1004. It truly is a chance to see our instructors at work.

The Biennial Faculty Exhibition runs from Sept. 8 to Oct. 8. It is open Monday-Thursday with some evening hours and closed from noon to 2 p.m. For more details visit www.art.fullcoll.edu.