For some Goshen College students, wrapping up senior year can look like papers, projects and presentations. Other students have something else to work towards: their final shows as students. 

For the arts program, students get the chance to exhibit their work in Hershberger Art Gallery. For music students, they compile an hour’s worth of music to perform for a live audience in Rieth Recital Hall.

This year there are four students having their work featured in the senior art show, using their own mediums to create something unique to display as a marker of their growth in the program. 

There are also eight students performing repertoire they have practiced, performed or even composed through their four years.

Greta Lapp Klassen, a senior art and English double major, has been preparing for the senior art show by working with her skills in acrylic painting. All of her works for the show will be portraits. 

“It has been really fun to make a body of work for the show because this is the first time I’ve been specifically focused on making a series of work that goes together. Also, I’ve never done too much going back and changing finished pieces before, but since all six of my paintings are one series I have done more ‘revision’ on these pieces than others,” said Lapp Klassen. 

For senior graphic design and music major Caroline Greaser, the process has looked a little different. With Greaser’s majors in mind, it has meant preparing for the senior art show and her recital simultaneously. 

While working toward the art show, Greaser said, “It’s been a bit of a daunting task to work toward, but the art faculty have been a great help in guiding me through this process. They’ve helped to relieve some of the pressure I’ve felt — it’s been really meaningful.” 

Greaser has also been able to learn a lot while working with graphic design. “The field is so new, but also so accessible to a lot of people so there’s a lot of content to explore and learn from. A lot of it is just doing different variations of a design and seeing what catches the eyes of friends and professors to gauge the audience reaction.” 

For her recital planning, Greaser’s path has looked a little different due to fulfilling her SST credits with Eastern Mennonite University’s Cross Cultural program in Peru last semester. “Normally you would pick your repertoire sooner than I did, but I was off campus and didn’t even have my violin, so I waited until spring to work out what I would play,” said Greaser.

Overall, there’s something to look forward to in the end. “I feel nervous about the [art] show, but I’m so excited for when it goes up. I can’t wait to see what the other art majors’ finished products are, and I think it’ll be a great show,” said Greaser. On the topic of her senior recital, she stated: “I’m excited to have so much repertoire to perform, the performance itself, the support I’ll see from friends and family and for the relief afterwards.”

For Lapp Klassen, it’s a similar sentiment. “It’s been so fun to be working in the art building late at night at the same time as other artists! We’re all really passionate about our work so it’s a good vibe to all be painting together,” said Lapp Klassen. “I feel good about my show. I hope lots of students come out to see it and I am excited that it will be up in the gallery for a while.”

For one of the seniors, the capstone project for their time in the music program was completed last Sunday. Grace Hitt, senior music and history double major, put on her senior recital, playing through trumpet repertoire. 

“It was definitely a long process,” said Hitt, “it involved a lot more logistics than I thought it was going to.” As a process that usually spans multiple semesters, Hitt had laid out her plan of what she would play last fall. “I had three collaborating artists in addition to my accompanist so that added all kinds of twists.” 

According to Hitt, an hour of repertoire is no small feat for a brass player, saying, “it’s a test of endurance, and even up until the last couple of weeks I was nervous about it.” With everything finished, Hitt was able to offer something to count on for seniors looking toward the completion of their capstone projects: “It’s definitely a big relief. 

“It’s something I’ve been working toward for a long time,” Hitt said, “but also just a really neat experience because I got to share pieces that I had put so much time into … it was really exciting and there was a great turnout. It was nice to see everyone there, engaged, and excited … it was kind of surreal.”

The senior art show will premiere in Hershberger Art Gallery on March 26 and will be up through April 30. For upcoming senior music recitals, keep an eye out on the Music Center website to see when the next recital will occur.