BACK TO SCHOOL: JUNIOR YEAR

REGENERATION @ AIB by BEN SLOAT

LOïS MAïLOU JONES: THE EARLY WORKS @ THE MUSEUM SCHOOL by MATTHEW NASH

CRAFTY @ MASSART by CHRISTIAN HOLLAND

GüNTHER SELICHAR: MEDIA MACHINES @ TUFTS UNIVERSITY by MATTHEW GAMBER

OFFSPRING: REPRESENTATIONS OF CHILDREN IN CONTEMPORARY VISUAL CULTURE @ BUAG by HEIDI MARSTON

'The station wagons arrived at noon, a long shining line that coursed through the west campus. In single file they eased around the orange I-beam sculpture and moved toward the dormitories. The roofs of the station wagons were loaded down with carefully secured suitcases full of light and heavy clothing; with boxes of blankets, boots and shoes, stationery and books, sheets, pillows, quilts…

I’ve witnessed this spectacle every September for twenty-one years. It is a brilliant event, invariably. The students greet each other with comic cries and gestures of sodden collapse. Their summer has been bloated with criminal pleasures, as always. The parents stand sun-dazed near their automobiles, seeing images of themselves in every direction. The conscientious suntans. The well-made faces and wry looks.'
Don DeLillo, White Noise, Penguin Books

Admittedly, we've quoted Mr. DeLillo before, but this time of year he just seems so relevant. The students are back, the Sox are losing, traffic is terrible... everything is right with the world.

As we do every year, Big RED & Shiny has sent our writers out to explore the wide array of exhibitions that accompany this back-to-school season. With so many art schools and university galleries, there is so much great art on display that it might even soften the blow of all those obnoxious kids suddenly clogging the Green Line.

Welcome back, students, we missed you. While we're at it, welcome back professors and summer travellers. Unpack your stuff, find the nearest Dunkin Donuts, and then head out to see some amazing back-to-school art.

BIG RED GOES BACK TO SCHOOL in issue #11
BIG RED GOES BACK TO SCHOOL in issue #27