By Braulio A. Tellez

The Art Department has added a second gallery, which is opening the door for new possibilities.
Before, most art shows took place inside Gallery F-219, a small room in the F building.
Now, the H-100 gallery serves as a second show space and has given the Art Department more room to showcase local artists.
“One of the reasons we wanted two exhibition spaces is because we really wanted the ability to have different types of exhibitions,” Gallery Director Iris Bechtol said. “So this new one is kind of like a shotgun gallery. It gives us the power to have more diverse shows and more of them in a semester.”
The new gallery also allows Bechtol to incorporate things such as sound and lighting.
The gallery opened Sept. 22 with Leticia Bajuyo’s show “Event Horizon.” The reception included a speech by the artist and a musical performance by the Austin based band The Austonauts.
Bajuyo’s installation consisted of a large wall made from compact discs, which extended out into the middle of the room.
At the end of the funnel was a theremin, an electronic instrument that uses a looped frequency which is then manipulated with the hands to create different pitches and notes.
Bajuyo, an art professor at Hanover College in Hanover, Ind., was invited to open the gallery after Bechtol attended one of her shows in Austin.
“I think it’s awesome that I was the first artist to touch the gallery, and of course it’s an honor that Iris chose me,” Bajuyo said. “The space is amazing, and it worked really well with my installation.”
Bajuyo said adding a second gallery says a lot about how much the campus cares about the arts.
“I’m jealous,” Bajuyo said. “We only have one gallery on our campus.”
Arts, Language and Literature Dean Rachel Wolf said the new gallery is part of an effort to improve the college’s fine arts program.
“We want students to know that fine arts are also key to a comprehensive education, just as math and science are,” Wolf said. “So the gallery is one facet of our efforts to begin a more in-depth arts department.”
Bajuyo’s show will continue through Oct. 26.
The gallery is located in the lower courtyard next to the F building and is open to visitors during school hours.