Brookhaven hosts annual Texas 2SHOW

Nadia Galindo

Issue date: 11/12/07 Section: Entertainment

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From left, Best of Show Ashea Godwin, "Transfusion;" Second place Daniel O. Gomez, "Claud Garamond-GARAMOND;" Third place Guillermo Chapa III, "So Fresh"

Media Credit: Nadia Galindo

Walking into the Atrium Gallery, students may think Brookhaven College let advertisers buy out gallery space to sell Kodak products and encourage students to donate blood. The reality is the annual Texas 2SHOW, sponsored by the visual communications program, displays the best work of students from across the state of Texas.

A young girl dressed as a pirate drew me up close to examine the ad, "Who are you?" an ad for Ancestory.com by Guilermo Chapall, a San Antonio Community College student. This ad is clever and sends an easy to understand message: people can find who their ancestors are by going to Ancestory.com.

"She doesn't get it from my side of the family!" is the headline for the ad. I could see this ad in a magazine or even on a billboard because anyone can relate to the message.

A handmade book titled "The process of sketches to drawings" by Oscar Vela, Brookhaven visual communication student, stood open and stretched inside a display case. His book was full of sketches and complete drawings, which were in subsequent order and showed the process to complete a drawing.

His work is intimate and complex; the cover of the book has a large single eye, which gave me the idea Vela was trying to give his viewers a look into how he perceives the world.

Wes Smith, Atrium Gallery director, said, "I think he [Vela] likes the unusualness of it; he is looking at a concept and what is new and out of the box."

Smith said Vela submitted several entries last year and did not get any of his work in the gallery, but this year everything he submitted was accepted.

Vela, like many other students in the gallery, submitted his artwork as jpeg files and this year's judge, David Fiegenshue of FigDesign, selected 30 pieces to display in the Atrium Gallery. Out of those chosen, seven places were awarded at the ceremony.

Out of the work ranging from posters, logos, books/booklets and Web sites, my favorite was the ad campaign by Daniel Gomez. Three ads titled "Kodak Prints" were hung together in the gallery.

Out of the three, the ad of a man with a computer screen for his eye was my favorite. The print next to the old man read, "Grandpa doesn't have a computer. He probably isn't one either." This message expressed to me the importance of how photos can help us never forget special moments and family. This ad campaign is witty and can sell to all consumers.

The Texas 2SHOW runs through Dec. 3.

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