Blend (VCU Fine Arts Building)

I stopped by the Fine Arts Building's exhibition, Blend yesterday. There I found an interesting mix of media and artists, a few names I recognized, and many I didn't. The thing I found most interesting about the exhibition was the great mix of different art forms, concepts, emotions, etc displayed here. I'm more used to seeing a single artist's work up at one time in one place, so this was an interesting twist on my average art exposure and experience. At first, I found the mixed media overwhelming. I had a instinctive reflex to leave before entering the room fully because I wasn't sure where to look first. Then I realized that seeing the work set up all together like this made me stay longer than I may have in a single artist's exhibition. I found myself drawn to each piece individually, instead of absorbing a group of works all together. What really helped this was the numbering of the works, which brought the viewer through the room in an organized and chronological way. I think without this, I would have been to overwhelmed to stay long enough to study each piece.
The part of the show which made the greatest impression on me was the mix of intent and emotion. Each artist had something different to say and a different way to say it, which fascinated me greatly. Some pieces seemed like explorations in line, shape and form, like the Hairnet Installation, by Akiko Jackson. Another was quite politically charged--Project Hope, by Keith Mendak. Each artists agenda was different, but the obvious personality and emotions behind most of them truly moved me.
Lastly, I think the show space was very important in linking the show with its contents. It took place in the VCU Fine Arts Building, an atmosphere charged with fresh, artistic minds. Seeing so many different mediums, some more obscure than others, in such an atmosphere made a lot of sense to me, as a viewer.