Emerge, the Furman University Art Department\u2019s senior exhibition, is more than forcing art majors to prove they can paint a picture before graduating.<\/p>\n
\u201cArt has always been about ideas, so we try to have our students consider that as part of their art-making process,\u201d associate professor and faculty advisor Michael Brodeur says. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about something that\u2019s visually pleasing that you hang on the wall. It\u2019s something that invites the viewer to think about deeper issues that make connection to the larger world, which is really the basis of the liberal arts education.\u201d<\/p>\n
With that in mind, this year\u2019s Emerge exhibit \u2013 which will be on display in Roe Art Building\u2019s Littlejohn Lecture Room through Saturday, May 10 \u2013 featured \u201cwork derived from some form of personal experience.\u201d Jenny Cook, Allison Elliot, Brittany Harden, Brigid Morrissey, Elise Wilson and Hilary Wilson used everything from drawing to painting to photography to yarn to items purchased at a second-hand store to create work they presented at an opening reception on April 11.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is sort of their exit statement,\u201d Brodeur said. \u201cIt does incorporate the concept of liberal arts in that it\u2019s not just about the skill of making work but rather the ideas that come with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cUNRAVELING\u201d<\/p>\n
Jenny Cook<\/p>\n
Medium: Graphic design and yarn<\/p>\n
Artist\u2019s statement: \u201c(The work\u2019s) purpose is to represent a personal understanding of anxiety<\/a>, to illustrate my journey of discovering it, and how I\u2019ve come to rise above it in finding peace. \u2026 Before I began I wrote reflections on specific, defining experiences I\u2019ve had with anxiety. I realized that a common phrase I used was \u2018I feel like I\u2019m unraveling.\u2019 \u2026 It is my hope that this visual journey will encourage others to talk about mental illness. \u2026 In pursuing my own experience and producing it visually, I hope that others will be vulnerable as well, finding their own peace. In some ways, this project itself is a creative expression that has allowed me to come into greater understanding of my anxiety \u2013 to not run from it \u2013 but, rather, become closer to it through unhindered innovation. This has allowed such acceptance and release.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Untitled<\/p>\n Allison Elliott<\/p>\n Medium: Oil on canvas with synthetic floral elements<\/p>\n Artist\u2019s statement: \u201cMy self-portrait is steeped in nostalgia. Over the course of my entire life I have been drawn to the way that people look. \u2026 Similarly, the infinite varieties in vegetation are a great source of inspiration for me. I spent a lot of my childhood in secret places between the leaves of a great magnolia tree and beneath the azalea bushes in my mother\u2019s garden. \u2026 It is difficult to combine mediums in a way that unites the flow of a piece. However, I wanted to incorporated three-dimensional elements in the hope that I might trigger something in the viewer that would otherwise remain undisturbed. I used traditional oil paints for the portrait and made a sort of \u2018frame\u2019 by fastening the canvas to cardboard and arranging different types of leaves around it. \u2026It is the combination that creates the end result, and I hope it is a pleasing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe Magician\u2019s Nephew: Bringing the Story to Life\u201d<\/p>\n Brittany Harden<\/p>\n Medium: Pencil on sketchbook paper with Photoshop<\/p>\n Artist\u2019s statement: \u201cI chose to represent four key characters and scenes from C.S. Lewis\u2019<\/a> children\u2019s book, The Magician\u2019s Nephew<\/a><\/i>, through a series of digital illustrations. Because I have an interest in both concept art and illustration, I focused not only on the aesthetics of the images but also on their designs. \u2026 It was just as important for me to make sure that my designs stayed true to the characters and scenes inside C.S. Lewis\u2019 detail-rich text as it was for them to stand on their own as strong illustrations. \u2026 As a result of this project I feel I have developed a greater understanding of digital painting through refining my technique as well as a greater appreciation for the importance of artistic and historical research when creating accurate designs.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Untitled<\/p>\n Brigid Morrissey<\/p>\n Medium: Digital painting on plexiglass<\/p>\n Artist\u2019s statement: \u201cI am a member of the women\u2019s basketball team at Furman<\/a>, and one of the greatest outcomes from my being around the same people every day is that it is impossible to hide \u2013 they see me at my best, and they see me at my worst. But at least they see me. \u2026 This project is about relationships, and how people view each other. One experience with someone of a particular race, gender, age group, etc., often determines how we view the group as a whole. In using portraits of my athlete-friends, I am aiming to break down those barriers. \u2026 I am using a new art technique, utilizing a computer program to create a \u2018painting.\u2019 \u2026 Working with portraits can only get so personal. \u2026 Illustrating this way allows me to both add my own style and show others how I view my teammates. \u2026 This project has made me think twice about judging someone too quickly \u2013 or at least made me look at more than just his or her Facebook page.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSanctuary\u201d<\/p>\n Elise Wilson<\/p>\n Medium: Mixed media<\/p>\n Artist\u2019s statement: \u201cIn early December of 2013, a friend quietly disclosed that he had started cutting<\/a> himself. \u2026 His sanctuary had taken on the unlikely shape of a small bathroom, but the idea that one might perform a physical act to gain mental control over a situation seemed universal. \u2026 To interact with this exhibit, the viewer is made to deal with the subject matter alone, as isolation seems fundamental to the ritual self-harmers undertake. The exhibit is set up to mirror my friend\u2019s sanctuary, the bathroom, but is reminiscent also of a religious altar. Atop the sink-altar at one end of the enclosure sits an arm made of canvas and straws, to mirror skin and blood vessels, which I have invited the viewer to cut through. \u2026 Regardless of whether or not the viewer chooses to partake in my friend\u2019s ritual of cutting, he or she is still forced to deal with its existence through the imagery, the faint smell of blood created by the oxidized iron, and the isolation.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Untitled<\/p>\n Hillary Claire Wilson<\/p>\n Medium: Mixed media (oil-based enamel, glaze, wood, cotton cloth) and pigment prints on Epsom premium luster paper<\/p>\n Artist\u2019s statement: \u201cI am drawn to work that has purpose and functionality and enjoy bringing art back into daily life. The body of work explores space, beauty, communication and individuality. It was inspired by the experience of moving away from family and friends and into by own single-bedroom apartment. \u2026 I felt challenged to repurpose these objects in order to resurrect some kind of beauty that the previous owners felt was no longer present. I also wanted to add my own signature to these objects. \u2026 I informally document my restoration process via iPhone or camera on my blog, restoredandreborn.blogspot.com<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Emerge, the Furman University Art Department\u2019s senior exhibition, is more than forcing art majors to prove they can paint a picture before graduating. \u201cArt has always been about ideas, so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-academic-department-page","category-art"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}