On Tuesday, Nov. 3, “Sorry Dad” opened in APU’s I Gallery, inspired by skate-and-surf culture and showcasing artwork done by senior graphic design majors Kyle Jaynes and DJ Javier.
“It’s very doodle-based,” Javier said. “I surf, and Kyle likes to skate, so a lot of our inspiration comes from that culture. As for the name ‘Sorry Dad,’ it actually sprung from—at least for me—my dad. He comes from a business background, so when I transferred to APU, it was a conversation of, ‘Hey, I’m sorry. I’m going to study art.’
Javier added, “We wanted to make it an ode to all artists who feel like they have to apologize to their parents, which they shouldn’t have to.”
Jaynes agreed that when you pursue the creative arts as your passion and career, the situation that Javier previously described is inevitable.
“You have to talk—maybe it’s [to] your dad or maybe it’s not—and say, ‘This is what I want to do, even though there might not be money in it,’ and face some sort of disappointment from somebody you love,” Jaynes said.
Graphic design majors at APU don’t typically put on individual shows like students in the studio art department do. Because this exhibit was out of the ordinary, the two artists were given only a six-week notice that they were being given a show.
“We pulled out 80 pieces; one T-shirt, three posters, five different stickers, and two buttons,” said Jaynes. “It was a lot to do in a small amount of time.”
The art is displayed mostly on one wall of the gallery, along with a small carpeted area decorated by a chair and a television with “Sorry Dad” written on it.
“A lot of the art is actually really small, because it’s all doodles,” said Javier. “But, by the magic and power of Illustrator, I made it really big, so it was actually really quick. A lot of this art is stuff that I was already drawing anyway.”
Senior graphic design major Ryan Davis and senior studio art major Sean Stanton curated the show as part of their Gallery Design course.
“It wasn’t super difficult once we started going,” Stanton said. “It was just a lot of trial and error.”
Davis admitted that the 80 pieces of artwork posed a challenge for himself and Stanton when it came to displays.
“We just had to figure out the best way to hang them all together,” Davis said. “It came out well, and it was a fun process once we started going.”
According to Jaynes, the show’s underlying message is how skate-and-surf culture influences and fits into both the fine art and street art communities.
“I guess you could say that the style is punk and kind of raw,” Jaynes said. “We wanted to give this vibe that it wasn’t just a white-walled gallery with expensive paintings on the wall. We wanted something that created an environment that people could relate to and enjoy.”
The exhibit drew a large turnout of friends, family, and fellow artists and designers. Alex Ramirez, a senior graphic design major, was thrilled to see her friends’ show.
“It’s nice to see their work come to fruition,” she said.
The show will remain open for viewing in the I Gallery on West Campus for three more weeks.