Artistic Reflections

Visitors attend a gallery opening to view the work of senior art majors. (Photo by Cameron Peters ’20)

From Kenyon News - May 7, 2018

When Dani Gorton ’18 needed inspiration for her senior capstone project, the studio art major looked at her Gambier surroundings and considered how the Hill has influenced her, as a person and as an artist. She turned her reflections into a series of paintings now on display at the Gund Gallery’s annual senior exhibition, which runs through May 19 and includes works from 19 studio art majors.

Gorton’s series of oil paintings, titled “No Place Else,” explores how feelings and emotion can be imbued upon an environment. Each painting is modeled off of a photograph she took in or around Gambier.

“Going back through old photographs became very nostalgic in a way I hadn’t expected,” said Gorton, from New Haven, Connecticut. “Many of the photographs were taken at the same place on the Kokosing Gap Trail that I’ve ran by multiple times, in multiple seasons and at different times of day. There was a memory attached to each picture.”

Gorton also drew inspiration from her “Global Environmental Politics” course in political science, in which she learned about civic environmentalism and the notion that “if you have an emotional attachment to a place, you’re more likely to protect it and preserve it for the future.”

Gambier has become Gorton’s place, a feeling she expresses through her work. “I love it here,” she said. “I hope my paintings are a gentle reminder that we are here and we should appreciate the beauty, the nature, around us.”

Across from Gorton’s paintings in the gallery are works by Shannon Hart ’18, from Harare, Zimbabwe, whose sculpture and performance art exhibit is titled “Bodies of Land.” Hart’s project explores the ephemerality of value, possession and ownership. She feels grateful for the opportunity to exhibit her work in the Gallery’s professional space.

“It’s made us hold ourselves to a higher standard,” she said. “It feels amazing to have your art exhibited in a beautiful space where it can be appreciated and taken seriously.”

Participating in this year’s exhibition are the following seniors:

• Caroline Chang, from North Potomac, Maryland, used collaged paper and plexiglass in a series of sculptures exploring the mourning process.
• Zoe Chrissos, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, used mulled lumber, muslin and gypsum in a large-scale interactive installation that serves as a meditation on growth.
• Hugh Ferguson, from Chicago, created a series of paintings using oil on canvas that showcase “experiences of the pure and illogical present.”
• Matt Garrett, from Wilmette, Illinois, combined video with an installation of a wooden boat, split into pieces, to consider the idea of a simple action having a profound effect.
• Dani Gorton, of New Haven, Connecticut, created paintings that examine nature and emotional attachments to the land around Gambier.
• Emmett Green, from Silver Spring, Maryland, created a series of paintings, based on family photos, that explores the connection between images and perceived reality.
• Shannon Hart, from Harare, Zimbabwe, used sculpture and performance art to comment on the concept of ownership.
• Atlanta Japp, from New York City, used styrofoam and acrylic paint in a series of works intended to question notions of fragility and stability.
• Ben Jenks, from Arlington, Virginia, created a print/kinetic sculpture examining the destruction of ecosystems.
• Lauren Kerr, from Palo Alto, California, combined painting and video for a scene where “pain and joy only exist meaningfully together, each heightening the beauty of the other.”
• Ellie Manos, from Los Angeles, used garbage to create a sculpture that prompts reflection on the decomposition of civilization.
• Ryan Muthiora, from Zion Crossroads, Virginia, used plexiglass in sculptures examining racial identity.
• Phoebe Pohl, from Nantucket, Massachusetts, sculpted an installation evocative of her island home to reflect on the concept of sense of place.
• Olivia Porter, from Los Angeles, used video to interrogate the idea of performances of personality.
• Matt Reed, from Philadelphia, used oil on masonite to create “paintings of unremarkable subjects” that explored the effects of different tones and lighting.
• Helen Tuchmann, from Portland, Oregon, created a photo installation that examines moments of transition.
• Henry Uhrik, from Phoenix, combined sculpture with drawings that explore suburban life and relationships between neighbors.
• Addy Wagner, from Castle Pines, Colorado, used charcoal and graphite on paper in drawings that show an appreciation of sustainable farming.
• Karlin Wong, from New York City, created large-scale drawings inspired by experiences with cities across Europe and the U.S.

Also on display at the Gund Gallery, through May 27, is an installation by Assistant Professor of Art Sandra Eula Lee titled “The Bend,” inspired by temporary structures built by Beijing residents.

The Gund Gallery is open from 1–7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 1–10 p.m. Thursday; and 1–5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.