The gallery’s 5th Annual Academy & High School Exhibit will feature a variety of artworks curated by art teachers at Riverside’s Notre Dame and Encore high schools and La Sierra Academy, as well as from Loma Linda Academy, Redlands Adventist Academy, San Gabriel Academy, Glendale Adventist Academy, and Orangewood Academy in Garden Grove. The academies and La Sierra University are part of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination’s education system.

The show will run April 27 - 30 with an opening reception on Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. followed by an awards ceremony. Admission is free. Brandstater Gallery is part of La Sierra’s Visual Art Center and organized by the Art+Design department. 

Perris resident Adrianna Rodriguez, a junior at Notre Dame High School is submitting a monochromatic portrait image which the gallery is also using in promotional materials for the show. This year’s academy and high school show is Rodriguez’s second gallery exhibit – last year’s show was her first official gallery appearance made all the more significant by her win of the Best of Show award.

“Preparing my artwork for the gallery took a lot of patience to not only complete, but to be patient with myself and trust the process,” Rodriguez said. She says she learns something new with each piece she creates whether discovering a new technique or style, or learning through mistakes. 

“Art …has helped me grow as a person and encourages me to get involved with my school and community,” said Rodriguez. “Art is not only a hobby but it’s a part of me in which I can express as a visual communicator.With the support of my friends, family, and community, I am inspired to pursue the art field and continue to be open to new mediums as a young artist.”

Rodriguez is among 12 students from Notre Dame who will exhibit their work at Brandstater Gallery. They were selected for inclusion in the show by their art teacher, Yessenia Barron, a Riverside resident and alum of La Sierra’s Art+Design program. She believes her students’ participation in the exhibit will strengthen their confidence and motivate them to create stronger artwork. 

“I find it very important for high school students to exhibit their work in a gallery show as it will inspire them to continue making art while at the same time motivate them to improve their skills and or ideas,” she said. “Although it may seem nerve-wrecking, this exhibit will allow them to learn more about themselves and about their art. By experiencing opportunities like these, they will be able to understand what it’s like to be surrounded by a creative community.”

As an artist, Barron works primarily with textiles and fibers and exhibits her work through social media and her website. Last year she self-published a trade book, “Explorado.” “I find every opportunity to be creative and find materials or ideas that will inspire me to create something innovative,” she said.

She is in her second year of teaching art at Notre Dame where she enjoys “inspiring and sharing opportunities with the students about how to be a visual communicator and appreciating the creative process,” she said. “I emphasize on the creative process as there are opportunities to experiment, research, and investigate, with the result of becoming a visual problem solver.”

Brandstater Gallery is located in the Visual Arts Center on Middle Campus Drive at La Sierra University. Admission to the gallery is free. Hours for the Academy & High School Exhibit are April 27, 7:30 – 9 p.m. and April 29 – 30, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside. For further information contact Gallery Director Tim Musso at tmusso@lasierra.eduor call 951-785-2170. A campus map is available at lasierra.edu/campus-map/.