It's Wednesday, December 3rd, 8:00 pm. In a small gallery on Zion St., next door to the once infamous College View Cafe (once known for its underage drinkers and top notch back rubs) Lana Abrahams pounds a nail into the wall. A "super"-senior Studio Arts major at Trinity College up the road, Abrahams is "freaking the @!#*out"; she has less than twelve hours to prepare for the most important event in her academic career. Having already repainted the entire interior of the Zion Gallery herself the night before, tonight, along with the help of two friends, she will have to drill, hammer, hang and adjust lighting until everything is ready. Tomorrow morning, every Studio Arts professor will file into the gallery to scrutinize her work , both the art work itself as well as its presentation, and give Abrahams her final critique.

The works that will soon be hanging are the culmination of four and a half years as a Studio Arts major. The body of work, entitled " Self-Portrait " consists of six paintings (oil on wood) and six prints. Although Abraham would be hard pressed to admit it, her pieces are considered by her professors to be the among the finest work the Trinity College Studio Arts Department has seen in a long time.

Abraham, who began acting on her interest in studio arts during her high school years, is a dedicated artist whose work displays her willingness to explore as well as a continuing maturity. Over her four and a half years at Trinity, her work has steadily developed, a feat not easy to attain at a college where Studio Arts is one of the most under appreciated and often maligned majors. But she has never let the lack of funding and facilities impede her progress. Over the course of the semester, she has spent many nights in both the painting and printing studios, preparing her thesis. Tonight will be the last and , in her mind, most critical time she will spend on the collection.

Friday, December 5th, 6: 30 pm. In contrast to the fogged windows of the View, the Zion gallery spills light onto the Hartford sidewalk. From the street, mingled voices and laughter can be heard. Inside, students and professors are chattering, holding cups of red wine, beer, or Allize. They are all here to admire Abraham's work and to congratulate her on having successfully completed her college career. In the midst of it all, she laughs and basks in the much deserved admiration. For many of her friends, it is the first chance they have had to truly appreciate the magnitude of her talent. It is also a chance for them to see the tangible results of four years of hard work (something most majors will never have). For now, Lana Abraham can relax and enjoy her night, because this is her night.

Tomorrow? Who knows?

( Although, the professors thought so highly of her work, they did offer her a position at Trinity's Austin Arts Center).