Featuring the artwork of faculty-nominated students, Hokin Honors is an annual exhibition put on by the Hokin Project to celebrate the initiative and creativity of some of Columbia College Chicago’s most promising students. We caught up with Victoria Brazzale, undergraduate Advanced Management student, to talk about the exhibition.

What is the Hokin Honors Exhibition?

The Hokin Honors Exhibition is the 25th annual showcase of work created by undergraduate artists from a wide variety of disciplines at Columbia College Chicago. Each of the artists has been nominated and mentored by a Columbia faculty member who believes the student demonstrates exemplary work in their field of study. The Hokin Honors exhibition reflects the diversity of artists and media that Columbia College Chicago offers. Our Spring 2018 show features the work of 27 undergraduates representing 11 departments. The exhibition features a wide range of artforms, including photography, woodworking, film, drawing, fashion, dance, costume design, audio, installation pieces, and many more. The exhibition has been curated, managed, and installed by Columbia’s Hokin Project, a gallery management practicum.  The eclectic collection of media, the talent of our artists, and the massive cross-campus collaboration make Hokin Honors a truly unique experience.

How are you involved in this project?

The project is run through the Gallery Management Practicum, taught by Bob Blandford. I met Bob while on a study abroad trip to Rome, and I took his Exhibition Management class. I fell even more in love with the museum world and was itching to get into a real gallery space where I could do more than be an intern. GMP is a great space for undergraduate and graduate students to completely run a substantial gallery space almost entirely on their own. I chose to be on the Hokin Honors Project Team last semester because it presented the interesting and difficult challenge of working with dozens of artist and faculty members throughout the college. I took the class again this semester to see this project through and took on the role of project manager. Our team is working as a well-oiled machine to put on the largest show in all 25 years of its existence.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in preparing for this project?

We are displaying the work of 28 students who come from 11 different departments with 22 faculty mentors overseeing their students’ projects. That is a lot of people to organize and accommodate. This project takes over 8 months to put together, and we communicate with everybody from the department chair down to the senior undergraduate class. It makes the project incredibly rewarding, and quite fun, but a big old pain in the butt some days. Figuring out how to make that many different pieces of art, all with different themes, colors, media, and messages, look cohesive is a huge challenge.

The Hokin Project is a production of the Gallery Management Practicum course of the Business & Entrepreneurship Department, in collaboration with the Department of Exhibitions, Performance and Student Spaces (DEPS). The Hokin Project provides students of all majors with gallery management, exhibition, curatorial, and design experience. The Project presents the work of the Columbia College Chicago community through programs, events, and exhibitions.

April 12 – April 30, 2018
Opening Reception, April 12, 5-8pm