Five student artists spent summer creating. Their work is among St. Mike’s fall art exhibits

Research took an unconventional form this summer: horsehair swishing across canvas, tactile pressure molding mass into form, whirring of a sewing needle bobbing up and down, shapes slowly revealing themselves upon film in a dark room. 

For the first time this year, five Saint Michael’s College Art & Design students took on grant-funded summer research projects, proving “research” isn’t just about data – it can be a highly creative endeavor.  

The culmination of the work they created over the summer leads off the fall exhibition season in the McCarthy Art Gallery, with a joint exhibit. Two more shows featuring guest artists will round out the rest of the season, capturing the interconnectedness of mushrooms and assigning new meaning to found objects, respectively.  

Chloe Brown ’27, left, speaks with Art History Professor Terryl Kinder about her clothing creations she produced as part of a grant-funded summer research project. Art from other student researchers surrounded them in the McCarthy Art Gallery during the exhibit opening on Aug. 28, 2025. (Photo by Sophie Burt ’26)

A quintet of creative expression  

Five student artists exhibiting at once is a singular experience for St. Mike’s art enthusiasts. Visitors can expect vastly different visual styles, yet a cohesiveness in the boldness of themes that student artists explored. 

Abbey Gyurko’s ’27 haunting pieces explore surrealism through sculpture and photography. Chloe Brown ’27 disrupts the fast fashion industry by giving “pre-loved” textiles new life. Evan Kennedy’s ’26 “Eros” paintings explore queer love in relation to art history. Callie Boisvert’s ’27 photography augments the voices of local advocacy artists. And, Eden Milczanowski ’27 paints transgender individuals celebrating authentic expression.  

Saint Michael’s College students check out art created by grant-funded student summer researchers during the exhibition opening at the McCarthy Art Gallery on Aug. 28, 2025. (Photo by Sophie Burt ’26)

Becca Gurney, graphic design professor and lead curator on the student exhibit, said it was really special to have five students participate in the undergraduate summer research program funded through the VPAA (Vice President of Academic Affairs Office) because it meant a record number of student artists were paid a stipend to spend their summer making art.  

“They’ve all done some pretty interesting and amazing work. It’s special we get to show it in the gallery space,” she said, contrasting how other research projects are presented at conferences or submitted as papers.  

The combined exhibition will be on display to the St. Mike’s community and the public in the McCarthy Art Gallery from August 28 to September 12. 

Five Saint Michael’s College students were funded through summer research grants to produce art that was on exhibit in the McCarthy Art Gallery. From left, Chloe Brown ’27, Abbey Gyurko ’27, Callie Boisvert ’27, Eden Milczanowski ’27, and Evan Kennedy ’26 on the opening night of the exhibit. (Photo by Sophie Burt ’26)

Sloane summer artists collective contributes to unique exhibition 

The way the five artists developed their work for this exhibition was also unique. 

Gurney said student artists often express that they wish they had the time to immerse themselves in creating art; she tells them that’s exactly what summer research offers. Students spend eight hours a day working on their craft and get a stipend to cover materials and time.  

Because five art students were chosen this summer and were working with three faculty-artist mentors, each person had the benefit of seven other perspectives to help guide their creativity and to provide a constant flow of ideas. Sloane Hall, which houses the Art & Design program, transformed into a veritable artists’ collective over the summer, which proved to be a valuable and enriching experience, according to Gurney. She said the camaraderie and flow of ideas was similar to students and faculty working on Alzheimer’s summer research – which has been among the largest summer research groups on campus in recent years – and this was the first time the art students got to experience something similar.  

A McCarthy Art Gallery visitor snaps a photo of a painting by Eden Milczanowski ’27 created as part of a grant-funded summer research project. (Photo by Sophie Burt ’26)

Gurney said this method mimics how professional artists, including St. Mike’s faculty artists, create. 

She is thrilled to see artists’ work at St. Mike’s increasingly included in summer research. 

“To really share that research isn’t necessarily about data, but it can also be this idea of experimentation, risk-taking through an art form,” she said.  

McCarthy Art Gallery visitors view photographs created by Callie Boisvert ’27 as part of a grant-funded summer research project. (Photo by Sophie Burt ’26)

Two visiting artist exhibitions this fall explore what’s beyond the surface 

Following the student show are two more exhibitions slated for this fall that bring in visiting professional artists.

Hosting international artists’ work that is available for both the College community and public to enjoy elevates Saint Michael’s College for its focus on the arts, according to Gurney. She said it also provides student artists unique opportunities to be exposed to high level art, the chance to talk with working artists and make connections with them, as well as experience installing art exhibits.

Art by photographer Rachel Portesi, who will present an exhibition called “The Nature of Things” in September and October in the McCarthy Art Gallery. (Courtesy of McCarthy Art Gallery)

Later in September, photographer Rachel Portesi’s “The Nature of Things” spotlights mushrooms – as symbols of mortality, medicine, regeneration, and interconnectedness. In addition to still photography, time-lapse and AI are also utilized in Portesi’s creations.

“Mycelium networks, which resemble our nervous system, connect plant life and share resources, echoing how she imagined the world as a child—with invisible threads connecting us and all living things,” the exhibition description reads. “Through mycology and art, she reflects on how understanding these fungal networks invites us to reconnect—with nature, with each other, and with a more compassionate way of seeing.”

During the exhibition opening on Sept. 18, Portesi will be available for an artist’s talk from 5 to 6 p.m. in Cheray 101. A reception in the McCarthy Art Gallery follows, from 6 to 7 p.m. The exhibit runs from September 18 to October 31.

Art by sculptor and installation artist Lydia Kern, who will present an exhibition called “Torch Songs” in the McCarthy Art Gallery in November and December. (Photo courtesy of McCarthy Art Gallery)

The semester will cap off with Lydia Kern’s “Torch Songs.” The sculptor and installation artist reclaims found materials – natural, mundane, and ceremonial. 

“Wholly devoted to each object, she creates metaphoric relationships between disparate materials, carefully sewing, wrapping, and sealing everything together into a new meaning,” the exhibition description reads. “Her sculptures are narrative structures in which emotion, symbology, mysticism, tragedy, and transcendence echo.”

The exhibition kicks off Nov. 6 with an artist’s talk with Kern from 5 to 6 p.m. in Cheray 101 and  a reception to follow in the McCarthy Art Gallery from 6 to 7 p.m. The exhibition runs from November 6 to December 12.

During the spring season, undergraduate student artists will present their senior capstone projects in their own solo shows in McCarthy. 

More information about the McCarthy Art Gallery and upcoming exhibits can be found here.>>