Art in the Contemplative Sciences Center

Chloe Sherril-Howell / V Mag at UVA

While most of the permanent installations at the Contemplative Commons were carefully curated long before the building opened, the space is still evolving through the people it was ultimately built for.

That shift is already beginning to take shape through the Center’s first Student Art Showcase that was held from March 25 to April 1, 2026.

Planned by third-year Architecture student Mia Tesoriero, the event marked a meaningful step toward making the building feel less like a finished gallery and more like a living, student-driven space. For Tesoriero, the idea was personal and long overdue.

“I just think student art should be in a space for students,” Tesoriero said. “It’s always just exciting to be able to look at your work somewhere and be proud of it.”

The showcase, centered around the theme of “Nature and the Built Environment,” directly mirrors the building’s own design philosophy through a student lens. As an Architecture student, Tesoriero was drawn to the way the building integrates natural elements into its structure, from the Dell Pond views to its open, light-filled interiors. The theme, she said, became a way to bridge her own academic interests with the building’s identity. 

More than that, it also created a shared starting point.

Across the gallery, the diversity of submissions reflects just how broadly the theme could be interpreted. Some works leaned into landscape and environment, others into cityscapes or memory, but almost all explored the tension, and harmony, between natural and human-made spaces.

For first-year Architecture student Claire Nasu, that balance came naturally. Her painting, based on a photograph she took in Japan, captures what she described as a quieter, less-visible side of the country, far from the familiar images of Kyoto temples or Shibuya Crossing. 

“I really wanted to show the authentic side of Japan,” Nasu said, pointing to the way her work blends greenery with everyday built spaces. 

Nasu, who began painting more seriously just a few years ago, spent nearly 150 hours on the piece. For her, the slow, detailed, almost meditative process is just as important as the final result.

That sense of slowing down and paying attention surfaced across many of the artists’ experiences.

For second-year student Kelly Tran, photography is less about perfection and more about presence. She describes it simply: if something feels beautiful, she captures it. 

“I feel like we get so caught up in internships, classes… it’s just nice to retreat to the small things in nature,” she said. 

In that way, her work aligns closely with the Commons’ broader mission of contemplation: using art not just as expression, but as a way to pause and reflect. Photography, she added, becomes a way to hold onto those moments, turning fleeting experiences into something lasting.

That same balance between technical and creative thinking appeared in many of the showcase’s contributors, particularly those studying in STEM fields.

Second-year Ava Lawless, a data science major and studio art minor, sees her 30-by-40-inch painting as both a counterbalance and an extension of her academic work.

“Being able to take a step back and turn to something that’s creative is just something that really helps my mood,” she said. 

Her large-scale paintings reflect that intersection. While her coursework is rooted in coding and technical problem-solving, she finds that art strengthens her ability to think creatively within those spaces.

“I feel like I’m able to approach coding problems from a more creative perspective,” she added. 

Even for graduate students like Bahvya Devarsu, the role of art remains just as central. A master’s student in data science, Devarsu completed her piece specifically for the showcase within just a few days, switching from oil to acrylic to meet the deadline. 

But the most striking part of her experience wasn’t the process – it was the support system behind it.

Her family drove over two hours from Maryland to attend the event, a gesture she described as deeply meaningful. 

“I feel like drawing and painting is what keeps me less stressed… it’s a really good outlet for my emotions,” she said. 

As students moved between pieces, conversations formed naturally. Some stopped to analyze technique, others to share personal interpretations, and many simply lingered. In a building designed to foster contemplation, the showcase introduced something equally important: interaction.

“I think when you get a bunch of people together in a space where they’ve creatively expressed themselves… it leads to really interesting conversations and meaningful connection,” Tesoriero said.

In many ways, the event filled a gap that has quietly existed since the Commons opened in August 2024. Despite being a space built for students, the Commons had offered little opportunity for student-created work to live alongside its permanent collection.

Just steps away from the student works, the building’s permanent installations continue to set the tone. The 15-by-24-foot video wall at the entrance cycles through short films by internationally recognized artists, immediately immersing visitors in motion, color and scale. 

Nearby, Conference of the Birds, a detailed, mandala-like painting by Clay Witt and Dean Dass, rewards a slower, closer look, revealing hidden forms the longer one stands in front of it.

Further inside, Ninfeo transforms the space entirely. Composed of thousands of laser-etched crystal blocks, the installation responds in real time to movements in the Dell Pond, shifting light patterns that quietly mirror the natural world just outside.

Connie Kresge, Chief of Staff for the Contemplative Sciences Center, said, “When you're encountered with beauty or great art, it can create a sense of awe. And awe can lead to a state where you start feeling connected to everything.” Together, these works intentionally establish a rhythm: awe, attention, reflection. 

The student showcase enters that rhythm differently. Instead of asking viewers to interpret someone else’s vision, it invites them to recognize pieces of themselves through shared experiences, identities or ways of seeing the world.

And while only a handful of student works currently occupy the space, they point toward something larger. Just as the Commons was designed to evolve through conversation and connection, so too can its art evolve.