Waves of drawings, paintings and photographs lined the walls while lines of sculptures crisscrossed across the floor of the Student Activities Center Art Gallery on Thursday for the reception of the Modern Art by Modern Artists Revisited art show.

The gallery, which featured the works of both undergraduate and graduate students, was put together with the leadership of president of the Fine Arts Organization and senior psychology and studio art major Dan Donato.

“I think the hardest part for artists, writers and theatre people are looking for their voice,” Donato said. “I wanted to show different peoples’ voices.”

Donato found his voice in portraits where he depicts himself as a clown.

It started as a joke about how he viewed art, but ended up taking a life of its own.

“I would paint myself as a clown, and what that portrayed was my trying to please the hierarchy and humor my instructors, my art world, and society,” Donato said.

The showcase was a derivative of the Modern Art by Modern Artists gallery displayed during the spring semester.

It was entirely student-run. Donato spent a full day setting the gallery up.

Participants submitted their pieces to Donato, who, with help, selected pieces to showcase and organized the gallery. Being a student-run gallery, the submissions process was designed to be newcomer-friendly.

Family and friends of the artists came to support and appreciate the art.

Among them, Dilan Kalev, a health science major in the nuclear medicine program, came to support his friendsand their art.

“On this campus, art is like a forgotten thought,” Kalev said. “Everyone’s focused on their science degrees and computer science degrees. It’s amazing to see the talent that some people have.”

John Sagliocca, a studio art major, submitted four photo collages of fellow college students in a series where he attempted to display complex emotions college students may feel, ranging from depression to growth.

“To be in this gallery specifically makes me feel very proud because I’m surrounded by some of SBU’s greatest artists,” he said. 

His photographs were organized to be read as a progression with flowers faded in the background.

A third year visual arts major from Suffolk Community College, Erin Fischer was the only artist displayed who was not a student of Stony Brook University.

Three of her self-portraits lined the back corner of the gallery.

“Since I don’t go here, it’s really exciting that I was invited,” Fischer said, “I brought my mom, my grandma and my friends are coming.”

Fischer painted the first portrait at the beginning of her first semester of art.

The second and third portrait were painted this past semester. Her growing comfort with color and detail was clearly visible.

The gallery filled with artists and art appreciators over the course of the evening.

“This was definitely a success,” Donato said. “People’s voices really came out in their art.”

The galley will be open for visiting by the public up until Dec. 4.