The outside exhibit in the Fine Arts building has been causing concern for art students as well as Director and Curator for the Cerritos College Gallery, James MacDevitt.

The glass windows on the exhibit have a glare which makes it difficult to see, explained MacDevitt.

MacDevitt said, “It’s a complaint that I’ve heard from everybody who comes to see the [Window Dressing] series’ openings lately.”

The glare on the window is due to the ultraviolet protection that the glass offers. UV protection is necessary to keep the art pieces protected from potential damage caused by sunlight.

He explained that when beginning the Window Dressing series earlier in the year, the sun would set earlier and would not be an issue during the opening.

However, with the sun staying out longer, the glass reflects the light and prevents people from looking at the art inside.

Art and animations major Samantha Reina said that she would be “upset” to see that her art could not be appreciated because of the issue.

This is not the first time that the issue has come up, according to MacDevitt. When the building was still in construction he brought up the issue to the construction company’s, Tilden and Coil, attention.

Reina said, “I would wonder if there is a practical solution, such as an awning to get rid of the glare.”

“I explained to them that though I don’t normally like to complain I had to put my foot down and say that there was no way that this was going to work,” said MacDevitt.

He continues to say that they “resolved it … to the best of their abilities which was to recognize that the problem was the double-sided UV and they found us a different glass.”

MacDevitt said, “The unfortunate side effect of having the UV coating at all is that during the day there is a glare which makes it a little hard to see inside.”

Although a request could be put in to Director of Physical Planning and Construction Services David Moore to replace the glass, MacDevitt said that he does not plan to do so.

Moore said that faculty were very involved into how the building would be constructed “to the point of over-involvement sometimes.”

He said, “My solution to that is not necessarily to request changing the glass because I don’t think they would, but instead to try to schedule the opening receptions for later in the evening.”

Moore said, “I gotta look into it and see if there are alternatives or if it’s even something that we want to address.”