Showing their art

In true art fashion, a rebellion of sorts took place at the River Campus this weekend.

Southeast Missouri State University students exhibited work in the Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition in the River Campus Art Gallery in the Seminary Building with all the regality of a sanctioned, juried art show.

And in the neighboring building, the Salon des Refuses was hung in the hallway outside the art studios and classrooms below the theaters.

The works in the hallway were pieces the judge did not accept into the student art show for whatever reason, be it issues of limited space, unrelated themes or simple rejection.

Salon des Refuses means Show of the Refused. The work was not accepted into the "real" show, so artists organize their own show -- the Salon des Refuses -- because while it may not flow with the aesthetics of the official show, these students felt their art deserved to be shown.

It's a tradition dating back to the 1800s when the French Academy determined what art was beautiful and could be shown. They would refuse inappropriate art. The refused artists finally thumbed their noses at the Academy and organized a rival art opening called the Salon des Refuses to show their art.

The tradition has continued at Southeast.

The student artists who organized the weekend-long show weren't being disrespectful. They simply had work they wanted people to see, and they weren't going to let a little thing like rejection stand in their way.

While the Student Exhibit opened with the finest soda and cheese cubes, the Salon des Refuses served peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cheese puffs.

Heather Kearnes, a senior fiber arts major, led people down the hallway, explaining which pieces were hers and the reasoning behind this humble show. She stood, barefoot and smiling, proud of her swift gathering of artists and artwork. She welcomed people like the most experienced curator and told them, "We just wanted to show our work."

The Salon des Refuses has been taken down, but pictures of some of the art are on semissourian.com. The Student Exhibit will stay in the Seminary Building art gallery until April 22.