For Brock University art students, the opportunity to have their own exhibition at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts can be pivotal.

The downtown arts school is opening its doors for the first student exhibition in the Visual Arts Exhibition space for the season on Wednesday, Oct. 11.

Lisette Costanzo explores themes of spirituality in her exhibit La Magaria. Drawing on her own spiritual practices, Costanzo focuses on uniting the physical and the metaphysical through high realism and otherworldly themes in her art.

“Costanza has worked diligently for the past eight months to bring creative and intellectual acuity to her subject of exploration,” said David Vivian, Director of the MIWSFPA. “This often solitary experience of a very personal exploration in the painting studio was guided by the Faculty mentorship of professors Amy Friend and Murray Kropf.”

La Magaria, Italian for ‘witchcraft,’ is the observation of nature, the bridge between the physical and spiritual, and the reverence of the Divine Feminine (Gaia) within everyone, explains Costanzo. She describes the exhibition as “the embracing of La Magaria and the divine inner spark.”

Prominent in most works from the La Magaria is a black obsidian ball, which represents the balancing of celestial power. Costanzo, who is in her final year of Italian Studies and Visual Arts at Brock, is an intuitive artist and reiki master who has studied metaphysics for nearly two decades.

Vivian said the student art exhibits are an important part of their learning experience.

“Exhibitions such as La Magaria provide an opportunity for a graduating student to create, curate and present a comprehensive representation of their creative research at this pivotal moment in their learning as they move from undergraduate studies to graduate research, professional studio-based practice or other long-term career trajectories,” he said.

La Magaria opens on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. with a closing reception on Tuesday, Oct. 31 from 5-10 p.m. Regular visiting hours for the Visual Arts Exhibition Space at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts are Tuesday through Saturday from 1-5 p.m.

The exhibit is free for the community to attend. For more information, visit the exhibition website.