The Bruno Gallery Opens For Spring Family Weekend

By: Stella Rogers '25

On Friday of this weekend in the Bruno Art Gallery, the Cate visual artists held a

showcase for families and the community, which highlighted “playful” and interactive pieces

they have worked on all year.

Joy Doyle, visual arts instructor and gallery curator, said that based on what the students

have created this year, the art show was “celebratory and fun.” She explained that the students have leaned towards more playful and silly artwork over the past few months, so she thought it would be fun to highlight that in the show.

The room was laid out with a space for the delicate lamps and ceramic sculptures created by advanced artist student Brooke Friedman, a corner for the papier-mâché heads created by the studio two students, and walls dedicated to the grids, matrices, photography, and miscellaneous pieces that aesthetically fit in the packed gallery. Ms. Doyle explains the idea behind the layout, “We thought about clusters. Thinking about volume, and grouping work by medium, which we don’t always do.”

As soon as the doors were propped open at 6:30, the parents and students wandered into the Bruno Gallery. For the weeks prior to the opening, the two sides of the gallery had been boarded up with thick brown carpenter's paper, blocking viewers from the showcase. Ms. Doyle shares, “We don’t get a full sense of the show until Friday afternoon when we take the paper down, which is such a beautiful, happy moment. It's like, ‘look at what our kids did.’ It was really, really cool.”

The crowd meandered around the pedestals and different corners of the room; the side of the gallery that received the most laughter was the papier-mâché heads. The heads range from anime characters to drag queens, to Disney favorites like Jack Sparrow or Charlie Jones from the animation Coraline, and all the heads were wearable. Sophomore Maddie Kollock, the creator of the Jack Sparrow sculpture, shared that her friends had texted her photos of them trying on the Jack Sparrow and different parents taking photos with the heads. Maddie expressed that she was “pretty proud of this piece” and that she loved how much joy others got from trying it on.

Senior and lauded ceramist Brooke Friedman had several pedestals creating a grid of just her own work. The pieces highlighted were delicate bowls, light sculptures that mixed both embroidery and ceramics, and a small figure of Miffy bunny, a token from her childhood.

Throughout this opening, Brooke’s section attracted much attention. People are amazed by her “talent” and focus on lightweight pieces with smooth bodies, sharp corners, and even clay

density, as well as her innovation with embroidery. She stated, “The way I got to the way I am is not through natural talent but hard work, dedication, and grit.”

This family weekend show is important for multiple reasons, Ms. Doyle shares, “It's

because spring and we are feeling really proud of our students, and it feels like a culmination of so much good work that has happened through most of this year. We try to highlight more

seniors and juniors, seniors because this is their last opportunity to share with the Cate

community their art.”

Another aspect that comes with this show is the associated award from alumni Fred

Bradley. Ms. Doyle explains, “Fred awards a two-dimensional award and a three-dimensional

award, usually distinct because he has his own aesthetic and technical eye.” With Fred Bradley coming through the gallery, Ms. Doyle explains that it is motivation to create a show that is strategically curated to emphasize the Cate School's visual art talent.

In speaking with some of the faculty and community members, Ms. Wyatt shared that she

loved visiting the art show every fall and spring. Ms. Salcedo mentioned her amazement with the visual artists and the ceramics pieces, and Mr. Smith loved the playfulness of the show and “silly” ceramic pieces. The show will be up for two weeks, and per the recommendation of

Maddie Kollock and the advanced art students, visitors should interact and explore the show for as long as it is up, “try on all the heads.”