'To Protect, To Nurture, To Remediate' student-curated instagallery explores nature and art

In the past few weeks, we've all become well acquainted with virtual museums. From The Met to Barnes Foundation, these virtual museum tours combine convenience with entertainment and we just can't get enough.

But for those of you who have been missing Rutgers, rest assured that Rutgers students have hopped on the virtual museum bandwagon.

We covered a virtual tour of Rutger's Zimmerli Art Museum last month, and today we are coming to you with an Instagallery featuring the work of Rutgers students.

The exhibit titled "To Protect, To Nurture, To Remediate," was curated by the Center for Women in the Arts and Humanities and the Global Village at Douglass Residential College. The online exhibit went live on April 27 on @CWAHatRutgers and the students' work will continue to be posted until May 4.

The art being showcased ranges from watercolor, paint and drawing to photography, sculpture and video with the overarching theme being the "symbiotic relationship between humans and the planet and exploring different ways to heal these relationships if broken and appreciate them if not," said Evelyn Besom, a School of Arts and Sciences junior and co-curator of the exhibit.

The exhibit will feature the work of 13 students, 12 of whom are part of the Women and Creativity House at Douglass Residential College. The house, which focuses on "demystifying the creative process," aims to make art less intimidating for those who wish to create art.

"Art can feel intimidating because there is ... this pressure that it needs to be 'good' in order to be worth doing. To me, 'demystifying the creative process' is about understanding that art is meant to be a personal release and bring joy over anything else, and (due to) that, it's something that anyone can do," Besom said.

Additionally, Besom tells us that she appreciates the accessibility of the "instagallery."

Besom explained that the virtual exhibit allows for some unexpected perks. For instance, Besom said that "One of the pieces, Saolín, is named after a woman the students met on their trip. Since the exhibit is now on Instagram, she gets to be a part of and experience it in the same way that everyone else does which I think is really special."

"It's nice to still feel connected to the Rutgers community despite not being able to physically be on campus. That is partly why I loved putting this show together, and I hope it can do the same for everyone who checks it out," Besom said.

To check out the exhibit, follow @CWAHatRutgers on social media.