Senior Exhibition Class Enhances Art Majors’ Professional Skills

In mid-November, when many people were putting up holiday decor, graduating seniors Bendenur Fidan and Meredith Mills were installing art they had fervently created during their time at Meredith. 

This exhibit, Reflections in Fur and Flesh, was on display in Meredith’s on-campus Weems Art Gallery through December 11, 2025. According to the promotional materials, Fidan’s works “process her experiences and emotions” through intricate animal sculptures, while Mills’ pet paintings and glassware share her “love of family.” 

Assistant Professor of Art and Gallery Director Todd Jones works with students like Fidan and Mills in his role as professor for Meredith’s Art 497 Senior Exhibition course, where he guides them through the process of developing and installing their exhibits. 

Jones says the course, which is required for all studio art and art education majors, helps “students develop professional practice skills that they will take with them beyond their time at Meredith College.”

One of the key skills the class emphasizes is creative problem-solving, a skill Jones said is “necessary to navigate our constantly changing environment, and…can be applied in every facet of the professional world.”

Throughout the course, students also refine a wide range of skills to create and promote their own exhibits successfully.

“Students learn to curate artworks to convey a stylistic, thematic, or cohesive design statement appropriate for the senior exhibition and to manage all aspects of exhibition preparation and installation,’ Jones said. “Throughout the process, they learn marketing and promotional techniques to generate exposure and advertise for an exhibition.”

The experiences students gain through the culminating senior exhibitions course have led to strong outcomes for Meredith art graduates. 

“From Senior Exhibition, students have gone on to work at various schools, galleries, and community arts centers after graduation, including Artspace and The Cary Art Center,” Jones said. 

For more information about Meredith’s art galleries and the hands-on learning opportunities offered, visit gallery.meredith.edu.