Work by Hannah Gnibus in the Steel Plant Art Gallery
Gnibus's '24 work from the Venice Biennale Program in the art gallery
Photo by Ava Battinelli '26

The Venice Biennale Program Exhibition is being held at Marist College’s Steel Plant Art Gallery until Nov. 22.

The art gallery, produced by the fine arts students, is open from September through May, showcasing a variety of themed exhibitions throughout the year. As of now, the art gallery presents the Venice Biennale Program Exhibition, open from Oct. 20 through Nov. 22. The Venice Biennale Program Exhibition is a show that displays the works of students that studied abroad in Marist’s Venice Biennale Program.

The Venice Biennale Program allows students interested in studio/art history to travel to Florence and Venice, Italy. In this program, students explored the art and culture of the Biennale sites, museums and the city of Venice as a whole.

Emalia LeClerc ‘25 was selected to participate in this program last summer. LeClerc said, “I learned how much bigger the world is. This program allowed me to push my art past the expectations of me at the time and I truly had a life-changing experience.”

“We spent three weeks in Florence studying art history and then four weeks in Venice where we got our own studio space and got to visit the Biennale,” said LeClerc. “It was amazing and an experience I am so grateful for.”

Ever since its opening in 1895, the Venice Biennale has been a staple in the art world. This art exhibition occurs every two years for seven months and is widely considered “the Olympics of art”.

After immersing themselves in the art and culture of the Venice Biennale, the artists prepared an art gallery displaying their work.

“The art gallery is extremely impressive,” said Sierra Hudson ‘26. “The minimalist feel of the gallery makes each and every piece stand out. I enjoyed how unique each piece is, but also how well they all fit together.”

The gallery, while being mainly student-run, is overseen by Professor Ed Smith. Professor Smith is the professor of art, gallery director and director of the Marist Venice Biennale Program.

Hannah Gnibus ‘24 took part in the program and shared her inspiration for her work. “My inspiration for the colors I used comes from the Venice Biennale. There were artists that used bright and vibrant colors in their works that really inspired me.”

Gnibus designed three pieces using oil paint on canvas paper, which were inspired by the dogs in Venice. “Venice is a really pet-friendly place and being a dog person myself, I really appreciated that and wanted to document it somehow,” Gnibus said. “Because of this, each dog I painted is actually one that I saw while I was abroad. Some were outside shops and stores that I would always stop at during the day and others were just dogs I saw on my walk to the studio.”

No matter what the art may be, Steel Plant continues to host new exhibitions regularly, showcasing student and faculty work.

Venice Biennale Program Exhibition Art Gallery

MARIST CIRCLE