A brilliant mlange of colors, shapes and emotions dominate "Collaboration," an exhibit featuring multimedia works from intermediate studio art classes, on display in Spingold's Dreitzer Gallery through Mar. 17. For one not quite sure what to expect, the vast amount and quality of student work is a pleasant surprise.Walking down the gallery's stairs, a large painting of exuberant dancers waving scarves and following a circular pattern in an apparent celebration of nature immediately catches the visitor's eye. From the orange and pink flowers and the broad strokes of the dancers' bodies to the green tips of the trees' leaves and the blended yet distinct reds and oranges of the dawn, Tanya Fredman's '08 painting, appropriately named "Sunrise," brings the viewer out of a university art gallery and into the natural scene.

On the next wall, Daniele Kohn's '09 oil painting "Don't Look" prompts the spectator to look through a clothes dryer and see what appears to be a dramatic forest landscape, done in a style reminiscent of the work of surrealist Ren Magritte. The juxtaposition of the dryer (a bizarre blue color) with the browns and greens of the trees inside puts forth many questions.

Among the sometimes jarring but often vibrant pieces, one particular piece resembling a wrench-a very ordinary tool-is especially startling. Made out of cardboard, and at least 10 times the size of a typical wrench, Jackson Weber's '06 3-D Design project is skillfully done, and the simplicity of geometric shapes works quite well.

Cory Clinton's '06 "Implicating the Body in Sculpture" was confusing, though inspiring. Approached from afar, it looks like a well-done, very realistic foot in plaster. As you come closer, you notice roses blooming from the top of the calf, where the knee should be. The back of the leg is made of chickenwire covered in red strings, possibly symbolizing either blood, the stems of the roses or veins coursing through the leg. The piece is especially compelling because of the ambiguity surrounding the artist's purpose, as well as its blending of the usual and unusual.

Across the gallery, sitting next to each other, are two more detailed and physically immense gems. One of these, Naomi Safran-Hon's '08 "Departure," shows an emotional goodbye scene involving generations of a family as a young man not much older than the average Brandeis student heads off on an El Al plane to the Israeli Defense Force. Seen in the faces of the characters are great pride and patriotism, mirrored by worry and desolation. In the corner of the painting sits a young boy, symbolizing the future.

The other piece, an unnamed work by Jenna Weiss '07, features all the colors of the rainbow. The more you look at it, the more patterns you notice. Here, circles and lines with broad yet precise strokes mesh to physically pull you into the center of the painting with the emotional gravity of a black hole.

These pieces were merely some of the highlights among the works displayed in the gallery. The demonstrated talents, as well as the dedication and time it must have taken these students to create their work, are extremely impressive. We should be proud to count such skilled artists as our peers.