The Harbor Art Gallery is a great asset to the UMass Boston community that is sorely underused by the student body. The gallery puts on interesting shows with friendly staff and guests. The best part of the Harbor Art Gallery is that it is an outlet for members of our community to show their work, both students and local artists.

The latest exhibit, entitled “Perfect Me,” is by UMass Boston senior Nicole Farland and MassArt senior Melanie Laramie. Farland, an art major, is displaying the work for her senior honors thesis. One of the more attention-grabbing pieces is Farland’s carefully arranged array of stuffed animals.

“It was a physical process,” Farland said about her rather large display. “I think it has been drawing a lot of attention.” The kumbaya-like circle of plush animals may seem random at first but upon closer inspection it is very intentional. “It’s like a sanctuary of comfort objects,” she exclaimed.

Melanie Laramie, a MassArt student, is also showing off her senior thesis. Laramie has a very interesting series that was inspired by her own body. One wall is lined with what looks like carved white blocks.

Each block has countless layers and in the center is a tiny splash of bright paint; this series is representative of not just scars but scars on Laramie’s body. “I wanted people to look closer at the things they might not even look at,” she stated.

“Our work is very different,” Laramie concluded, “but we are both trying to draw attention to these small moments that go unnoticed.”

Support your peers by taking some time to check out the Harbor Art Gallery located in the McCormack building.