Senior art exhibit by Alexciana Betancourt ’24 will feature a variety of media

“JaiMir,” a senior art exhibit presented by Alexciana Betancourt ’24 of Chicago Heights, Illinois, will run April 26 through May 11 in Caestecker Gallery, C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts, at Ripon College. Betancourt’s exhibit will include landscape paintings, record paintings, charcoal and pastel drawings and a paper mache willow tree.

An opening reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. April 26 as part of the Rodman Arts Celebration, which also will include a poetry reading, student-written one-act play and instrumental concert starting at 6 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

She is majoring in studio art and plans to serve in the Air Force.

“I have unsaid memories from my childhood,” Betancourt says. “My exhibit is focused on change and empowerment, as the pieces show that things in my life have changed throughout the years. I used materials, such as charcoal and acrylic paint, that I have always loved, but struggled to find a place of contentment with. Altogether, this exhibit describes my fight against my fear of failure, in the end making something that I can hopefully look back at and be proud of.”

She says her art reflects on how her way of thinking has evolved since she was a child; her love of music and the different genres she has enjoyed; her dedication to her late sister; and her advocacy for the empowerment of women.

“The monumental sculpture of the willow tree is how all of these pieces tie together,” she says. “This tree is based on one that I claimed as my own at an early age. While it wasn’t technically mine, I took pride in it. Willow trees specifically symbolize withstanding hardships, loss and difficult emotion (BetterPlaceForest). I did not know this as a kid, but now I understand why it held a special place to me. Because of this, it is the overall influence for this whole exhibit, which brought me back to my roots.”

Posted April 18, 2024 in Fine Arts, Student.

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