Art Exhibit in One Financial Plaza Showcases Student Artwork

May 1st, One Financial Plaza in Springfield served host to an art exhibit by UMass Amherst senior honors students. The students, all non-art majors, have recreated painted historical masterpieces including such famous works as the “Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli and “St. Matthew and the Angel” by Caravaggio and the “Doni Tondo” by Michelangelo. Under the tutelage of professor John Simpson, students worked individually and in teams recreating extremely elaborate landmark paintings such as the “Bacchanale” series by Titian.

“Unlike my biology classes where the subject is written out for you in a textbook and then lectured to you by professors, recreating a masterpiece is an entirely different process. The struggle to understand is internal, and the answers are never laid out nicely for you in text. You must think critically about what is happening in the painting, because even the most realistic paintings contain areas of abstraction.” – Emily King, UMass Amherst student

This is the third time NAI Plotkin has donated the lobby of One Financial Plaza to artists as a space to showcase their work. “Our development strategy is grounded in the theory that Springfield must become a place where people want to live, work, and play. It is my belief that the key to creating such an environment is the presence of art… Offering the One Financial Plaza lobby as a gallery space at no cost to the Artist is just one example of what private developers and landlords can do to help local artist, thereby attracting them. If I have my way Springfield will be known as the ‘City of Artist.’”- Evan Plotkin. President, NAI Plotkin.

NAI Plotkin and the Greater Springfield-UMass Amherst Partnership are currently in conversation to bring work by UMass Amherst faculty, students and from the university galleries to One Financial Plaza on a regular basis. “This gallery space is a wonderful opportunity for collaboration and to continue to fulfill the Partnership mission of contributing to Springfield’s downtown development and creative economy.” Maryann Lombardi. Director, Creative Economy, UMass Amherst


(photo: John Simpson, Maryann Lombardi and Springfield Mayor, Domenic J. Sarno) This exhibition is supported in part by Commonwealth Honors College, The UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center, Hampden Gallery, and NAI Plotkin and One Financial Plaza Trust. The exhibit will run through the month of June.