From March 28 to March 30, about 20 Harvard students will display more than 50 original artworks, including photography, watercolors, acrylics, ceramics, basket weaving, and other mediums, at Harvard’s Office for the Arts Student Art Gallery. This pop-up exhibition in the main OFA offices will showcase artwork from both undergraduate and graduate students, celebrating the incredible talent across Harvard’s campus.
The gallery will feature student art made individually or through a variety of on-campus programs, including the OFA Ceramics Studio and creations from the Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies. It also features art created through the OFA Visual Arts in the Houses initiative, which has brought over 40 workshops this year to student residences, including pottery studios, in the Houses. “Harvard’s Houses offer unique artmaking experiences that support expression and connection among undergraduates,” the OFA website explains.
Co-chairs of the gallery project, Katherrin Billordo ’26 and Eli Johnson-Visio ’26, said that the exhibit came to life through dedicated efforts to champion spaces that promote art. “We have been advocating for spaces to display our art, and I’m glad the OFA is acting on this through the OFA Student Ambassadors Program,” Johnson-Visio said in an interview with the Harvard Independent.
Johnson-Visio, also one of the tri-chairs of the OFA Ambassadors Program, explained that the cohort identified a need for space on campus to promote student art. He teamed up with Billordo to lead the organization of the exhibit. “I was fortunate to support Katherrin as she launched the Harvard x Yale exhibit with funding from the OFA last semester, and this time, the OFA was able to make us paid student workers to lead this initiative. We hope that more students will get involved as a result of this.”
The weekend will begin with an opening reception welcoming the artists and featuring special remarks from Brenda Tindal, Chief Campus Curator, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on March 28. This reception will also feature live music and refreshments and is free and open to the public. The gallery will be open during Friday’s opening ceremony and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on March 29 and March 30.
The OFA was founded in 1973 based on the recommendation of the James S. Ackerman Committee on the arts to create a permanent space for art support and extracurriculars on Harvard’s campus. Since then, the Office has supported dance programming, theater productions, student arts organizations, student coursework, public workshops, and art creation.
“We are committed to amplifying our students’ creativity,” said Angelica Durrell, OFA Director of Programs. “Arts is a priority for us at the OFA, and we are proud to be turning our very own headquarters into an art gallery for this weekend.”
This exhibit further strengthens the OFA’s legacy of uplifting art and creative spaces for Harvard students. The gallery not only showcases the incredible talent of Harvard’s student body but also highlights the essential role organizations like the OFA play in supporting student artmaking.
Layla Chaaraoui ’26 (laylachaaraoui@college.harvard.edu) is the Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Independent.