North Island College鈥檚 School of Fine Art + Design is opening its doors to the public for Art Event 2020, a showcase for the next generation of emerging artists at NIC.

The annual art show features new work from first and second-year students in Fine Art + Design programs and disciplines, including fine art, photography and interactive media and will feature an impressive array of work from across a wide range of mediums, including printmaking, video, painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography, graphic design, digital media and much more.

The event is free to the public and will feature music, refreshments and the chance to mingle with the artists. 40 Knots Vineyard & Estate Winery will host the bar for the event.

For students, Art Event 2020 is an opportunity to show off their skills in a professional event setting.

Audrey Smith, a second-year student in the Fine Arts diploma program, will be unveiling a series of figurative paintings incorporating three-dimensional elements, exploring themes such as superficial beauty standards and modern-day consumerism.

Smith also has a passion for ceramics and hopes to eventually open her own pottery and painting studio and earn her bachelor鈥檚 degree in fine arts.

鈥淭he access to resources and the variety of arts classes at NIC has had a phenomenal impact on my post-secondary experience,鈥� said Smith. 鈥淲ithout the equipment, resources and knowledge from the faculty, I would not have had the opportunity to explore ceramics and discover it was a path that I wanted to pursue.鈥�

Those unable to attend Art Event 2020 can also look forward to upcoming year-end exhibitions for each Fine Art + Design program later this spring. For more information, visit www.nic.bc.ca/fine-art/.