Great things can come in small packages – specifically, smaller than 11-by-17 inches.

Senior art studio major Marina Sterner developed an idea to benefit both her and her fellow artists: a “Small Works Exhibit” that allows artists to submit and sell their smaller works.

Most galleries tend to have bigger pieces of art, Sterner said, which is why she feels the exhibit is a great way to show off artwork people normally would not see in a typical gallery.

The exhibit held an opening Saturday in the Else Gallery in Kadema Hall at Sacramento State. About 30 people went to the opening and a handful of pieces were sold – the most popular being Amber Massey’s watercolors and Amy Pingitore’s jewelry, Sterner said. Sterner said she is accepting entries during the exhibit.

Sterner is both the curator of the show and an exhibitor. She said she has about 30 pieces of her work dispersed between pen, ink, photography and oils.

The exhibit displays the work on the walls and in flat files. Flat files are reserved for more delicate pieces which would be difficult to display on the wall or may be intended for more mature audiences than other works.

Sterner said she wanted the exhibit to be family-friendly and made the decision for which art would be displayed on walls versus the flat files piece by piece.

Eighteen artists are displaying at the exhibit with more than 200 pieces of art. Cat Xia, senior art studio major, is an exhibitor and said her works explore Asian identity.

“I have been exploring what it means to be a Chinese American in America,” Xia said. “I’ve been exploring the exoticism and sexuality. It’s brutal.”

Xia said exhibiting is a good idea to get your name out there, which is why she jumped on this opportunity.

“Even if no one likes your work, the whole purpose is to get smaller works out there that people wouldn’t normally see,” Xia said.

Sterner arranged the exhibit for the artists to receive 70 percent profit from the sale of their work, with the remaining 30 percent going to the Art Trust Fund. Sterner said Sac State uses the fund for art students’ supplies, so ultimately the money goes back to the students.

The process for putting the exhibit together has been a long one, Sterner said. She proposed the idea last academic year, and has finally been able to start all the work for it this semester. Sterner said the most difficult part has been working with department politics in getting it approved.

“But once that bridge was crossed, it has been smooth sailing,” Sterner said. “It had never been done, so it is understandable that they had lots of work to go through.”

Sterner said a big struggle has been keeping up with her work and school load along with curating the exhibit. She has had to design the postcard and poster for the event and said she has also done her best to make sure the artists have a good experience. Sterner collected all the entries and pulled the artists together.

Ruby Riego, senior art studio major, said she submitted line drawings in pen and ink and some work in oil on wood canvas.

“I think it’s really cool because it is a chance for a lot of artists to display their art,” Riego said. “I know it is going to be fun and it gives artists a chance to mingle.”

Sterner said she hopes people will want to take over and make the “Small Works Exhibit” a regular event.

“I think it could be a big thing year after year,” Sterner said. “To me it means a lot of things. I have enjoyed the experience of getting closer in my artist community (and) also polishing my resume.”

The exhibit will remain open for the week, with a closing show Friday 6 to 9 p.m.

Courtney Owen can be reached at [email protected].