Nicholls students will have the chance to not only look at over 40 pieces of art but have it look back at them, or at least it will seem that way when Cory Blanchard’s senior project, Face the Silence, goes on display in the Ameen Art Gallery Nov. 29. The exhibit, which contains 44 sculptures and about seven drawings, will feature faces molded in clay, each with its own unique expression. Cory Blanchard, art senior from Houma, said the entire show is an expression of non-verbal communication among people.

“It is a dialogue in silence,” Blanchard said. “I have always enjoyed making figurative pieces, and I wanted to experiment with the face.”

Blanchard put six months of working with clay into Face the Silence, which has not been all smiles for the artist.

“Trying to pick up the subtleties of the eyes in clay is not easy,” Blanchard said. “It has its own characteristics. It tends to get its own personality.”

The difficulty has not stopped Blanchard from pursuing his passion, however.

“I’m a sculptor,” Blanchard said. “I want to be able to play with any material I can get my hands on.”

Blanchard said he sees the show as a stepping-stone to grow upon in his career as an artist.

The numerous faces that will be available for viewing in the gallery will display a variety of emotions and contortions to patrons. Smiling, frowning, scowling, twisting, screaming and the “fishy face” are just some of the pieces that can be seen in the exhibit. Blanchard said his favorite of these works is a tiny face frozen into a scream.

“It’s something about screaming in silence,” Blanchard said.

Blanchard said he is not looking for a specific reaction to his work from the crowd, but rather that they each have their own interpretation.

“I really just hope they have a feeling about it, whether they love it or hate it,” Blanchard said. “The moment they have a reaction, I pretty much have them where I want them.”

Blanchard said that no matter how people react to his work, he hopes that they will remember it.

“It’s almost proof of existence as an artist,” Blanchard said.

The opening of Face the Silence will mark the first time Blanchard has had his own display of his work in the Ameen Gallery.

Jean Donegan, professor and head of the department of art, said Blanchard is a talented artist for several reasons.

“His work is extremely strong,” Donegan said. “It is creative and reflects his personality.”

All pieces in the exhibit will be for sale when it comes down on Dec. 4, and items will range from $30 to a few hundred dollars.

“Anything and everything you see is for sale,” Blanchard said. “Just to think a piece of my art is in somebody’s collection is humbling.”

While Blanchard said he feels that he has more to accomplish before he considers himself an artist, he does enjoy art, no matter where it will take him.

“I’d rather fail at what I want to do than succeed at what someone else wants me to do.