Nails aligned on particleboard twist into disarray following a wire tornado, expressing chaos in people’s lives. This is one of the many pieces of artwork on display at CSU East Bay’s juried Annual Emerging Artist Exhibit.

“My life has been kind of tumultuous lately, and I think that the inspiration for the piece specifically came from just the fact that anything can come through and reek havoc,” Christine Huffman, a CSU East Bay BFA student said.

She is just one of the artists from Bay Area local colleges who submitted their work to CSUEB’s Annual Emerging Artist Exhibit, which opened its doors to the public on March 7.

Hosted in the art department’s University Art Gallery, many pieces reflect the artist’s personality, with no two pieces looking alike. Cartoons, photography, paintings and sculptures were all accepted into the art show.

Philip Ringler curated and juried the show and said it is his first juried gallery by himself. Out of 200 contestants, 50 were picked, many of who are participating for the first time.

“I’m stoked,” said San Francisco City College advanced illustration student Michael Kavanagh. “This is the first time I’ve ever been in a juried show.”

His dream inspired strip shows a cartoon monster chasing a small character. The character turns around and screams at the monster, scaring it away. Kavanagh explains it was the first time he stood up to the monster in a childhood dream and he has remembered it ever since.

The show ends on April 13 and is open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday – Wednesday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Thursday from 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Admission is free.

Photos by Marina Swanson