Seniors showcase late night artwork in ‘26 Hour Diner’

By Nandini Dasari     4/22/25 10:39pm

As the spring semester comes to an end, 26 graduating seniors find themselves juggling both final exams and final exhibits. Marking the completion of a visual and dramatic arts degree at Rice, the annual senior showcase will open April 25.

The theme for the 2025 senior art showcase is “26 Hour Diner.” VADA major Artie Throop said the theme, which was chosen by the graduating class, is a play on the group’s size and the grueling hours they have worked to perfect their artwork.

“I think part of what [the theme] means to me is that the studios are open 24 hours,” said Throop, a Sid Richardson College senior. “I would regularly work until 2 a.m. on my pieces.”

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All VADA majors are required to participate in the junior seminar and senior studio courses. While the junior seminar focuses on instructing students in art theory and history, the senior studio gives students the space to create and curate their own artwork in preparation for the end-of-year showcase.

In January of their final semester, seniors apply the finishing touches to their artwork and turn their attention to planning the showcase. VADA major Zeisha Bennett said that students organize themselves independently into one of four committees: promotions, reception, catalog or exhibition.

“It really comes down to expertise and volunteering yourself for a position that you know you can do,” said Bennett, a Baker College senior.

Maria Martinez, the art department events and program coordinator, said that each year’s student-led showcase is unique, shaped by the diverse hands of the graduating class. In addition to varying themes, the setting of the showcase is also heavily influenced by student input.

“In the past, [students] have decided to configure the room as one big gallery, where they each include certain pieces. Other times, [students] each have a sectioned off space and they host whatever they want within that space,” Martinez said.

According to Throop, the wide variety of artistic interests and educational backgrounds among VADA students is part of what makes the university’s art program special. Some VADA students also choose to pursue additional disciplines, which Throop said serves as inspiration for their artwork. 

“Something that I really value about Rice’s art department is that so many of us are double majors, and we definitely bring that other field of study into our work,” Throop said. “Within my religion major, I focus a lot on group formation, group cohesion. Part of what’s so big for me about my craft are community elements.” 

VADA major Alex Constantellis said the art program at Rice gives students immense creative freedom, encouraging students to make use of the tools available to them in whatever way they see fit.

“What I love about how senior studio works is that it gives you the resources and space to create things, but it won’t teach you,” said Constantellis, a Baker senior. “You have to learn by yourself.”

Students produce a variety of multimedia projects, ranging from paintings and drawings to film, weaving and pottery. VADA major Alice Bian said that in addition to a collection of ceramic kitchenware,  she plans to display a series of handmade garments.  

“Those works look at sleepwear and undergarments as formal typologies and make them nonfunctional or functional in a different way,” said Bian, a Brown College senior. 

Bian said that the show’s success can be attributed to the tight-knit community of art students at Rice and the support they feel from their peers along their artistic journey.

“Having people to talk about [my] work is important to my art making process and something that I definitely want to maintain in the future,” Bian said.

“26 Hour Diner” will remain open for public viewing in Provisional Campus Facility Tent 2 until May 10.

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