During her freshman year as an art major at ACU, Myra Castillo walked into a senior art show intimidated, knowing she’d have four short years before exhibiting in a show herself.

(From left to right)
Gema Perez, Myra Castillo, Lydia Buchanon, Giselle Castro, Chris Jimenez

“It was really intimidating because I would ask juniors and seniors to look at their projects and think there is no way I can do this,” Castillo,  senior interior design major from Forney, said.

Myra recollected that she’d only just finished her first assignment, a drawing of a shoe, when she arrived at the back corner of the senior art show for the class of 2016.

“During my freshman year, I went to my very first senior show and I’m looking at all of the projects so intimidated, but then I go to the very back corner and I see this picture of a shoe,” Castillo said. “Every art major knows that the very first project is in drawing class and its a picture of a shoe. I had this big revelation that I don’t know if I can do this stuff yet, but I know that she once did exactly what I’m doing.”

Four years later, “Designer: The One with the Senior Show,” a ‘Friends’-themed art show featuring the work of Castillo and four other seniors, is set to premiere on Friday, Feb. 28 in the Shore Art Gallery at the Don Morris Center.

The five grouped for the first time during the Fall 2019 semester and have met once a week since then to discuss the theme, costs and choices of artwork. According to Castillo, shared costs were split between the five, but costs were reduced due to Chris’s mom providing the catering for free.

“Everyone knows that food is the best part of any art show,” Castillo said. “It was awesome that his mom offered to do it because that would have been a huge part of our costs.”

As the only interior designer in a group with four graphic designers, Castillo was able to gain a new perspective on the differences between their majors.

“The graphic designers always have this extra edge in their show because their job, what they’re training to do, is to advertise,” Castillo said. “Interior design shows are beautiful but graphic designers bring that edge that we lack.”

The art show will display various kinds of art, including Castillo’s furniture pieces, various interior design plans, watercolor art from a class that four of the five took when studying abroad together, and, of course, her shoe from freshman year.

“My advice to freshmen who are intimidated would be, all the great designers that you’re looking up to all started in the same spot that you’re in,” Castillo said. “So take it one day at a time and focus on square one, because you’ll get to square ten eventually.”