We We We So Art-cited
By David Oliver > Freshman > Journalism > University of Maryland
‘Tis the season. No, not for holiday gifts, formals or birthdays – for students showcasing their artistic abilities. Colleges and universities across the nation are gearing up for exhibitions, and students are eager to share their hard work.
Georgetown University: Gallery Director Edan Reed said there will be an exhibition of student artists graduating this spring, but that there are a variety of spaces across the campus that continually feature student artwork year-round.
“The senior exhibition is definitely a big turnout because we have an awards ceremony at the same time,” Reed said.Reed says that the displays are excellent lessons for students. It gives them a chance to step back from the working process, have dialogue with the viewers and communicate with other people. “It is getting a sense of achievement and that work is being taken seriously.”
Cornell University: Freshman interior design major Eric Faber spoke about the university’s unique concentrations.
“Cornell’s program focuses on the interior environment’s effect on people: physically, psychologically, emotionally,” he said. “My favorite project was designing a box that compositionally expressed an adjective: beguiling.”
Pennsylvania State University: Maddie Tyska, a junior art education and fine arts double major, participated in a student-run art event, “Arts Crawl,” on April 8. Students Organizing Multiple Arts (SOMA) and the Visual Arts Student Alliance (VASA) co-sponsored the event. The program featured sculpture art, painting, photography, new media, printmaking, ceramics, dance, live music and more.
Tyska’s concentration is in painting and drawing, and feels influenced by process artists like Lynda Benglis, Jessica Stockholder and Richard Tuttle.
“I am trying to knock painting and sculpture together,” she said, “… to use a variety of different materials, and manipulate them, then paint onto them.”
University of Virginia: Senior English and studio art major Tyler Sullivan (also an editor for CM!) has melded a variety of inspirations (‘50s Bay Area Movement, the return of the figure, graffiti) into her painting, which features a plethora of paint and movement.
Sullivan is a fan of Richard Diebenkorn and Roy Lichtenstein. “I think meshing together realms of the figure, graffiti and pop synthesize into what our modern culture is really about today.”
“My favorite part about my work is being able to paint my family – for them and of them,” she said. “They are my inspiration for my desire to create. To see their faces after I produce a painting or a work, that is my gratification for what I’m doing.”
The College of New Jersey: Freshman graphic design major and photography minor Katie Moran wants to own and operate a wedding photography company.
“I love people, so having that job would allow me to interact with people all the time,” Moran said.
While juniors and seniors mostly get the chance to showcase their work, Moran frequently shares her photography with friends via Facebook.
“I used the song “Beautiful Mess” by Jason Mraz and had my friend Erin model for me,” she said. “I did some crazy Photoshop work with it and once it was done, I couldn’t wait to show my floor mates.”
