By Jonah Grinkewitz
Old Dominion University's Barry Arts Building is getting a spooky makeover this Halloween season with an all-student exhibition called "Fright Night."
Through Oct. 31, all three of the building's floors will be filled with bone-chilling drawings, paintings, sculptures, posters, installations and projections from 15 Art Department classes.
The exhibition opens Oct. 20 with a reception at the Barry Arts Building at 7 p.m. featuring food, candy and games.
Kyle Kogut, a lecturer in ODU's Art Department with a passion for the occult, conceived "Fright Night" to highlight student works.
"While my own love of Halloween certainly contributed to my interest in organizing this exhibition, it's more about creating community for our students," he said. "The Halloween theme was an opportunity to create an aesthetically exciting event that the students could have fun exploring."
He called on instructors in the department to assign projects that weren't necessarily Halloween-themed but played with spooky imagery and holiday kitsch while also exploring deeper concepts and craftsmanship.
Avery Keys, president of the Student Art League, will have one of her drawings featured on a 12-foot wall installation depicting a pile of skulls.
"It is super important for us as art students to have our work showcased," said Keys, who is double majoring in painting and drawing and 3D media and material studies. "It helps us make connections with other artists and advocate for our craft."
"Fright Night" is free and open to the public and can be viewed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Barry Arts Building, 4600 Monarch Way.
