The work of ten studio art majors will be in the spotlight in the first of two Gund Gallery exhibitions of senior capstone, opening on March 19.
A reception at 5 p.m. kicks off the free exhibition, which continues until March 28. A second senior exhibition opens on April 3.
“Working to create a cohesive body of work for the gallery show has been a process of discovery and evolution,” said Mary Defer of Garrettsville, Ohio. “The studio art senior capstone has allowed me to really develop and synthesize ideas that I have been exploring throughout my art-making at Kenyon.”
With twenty studio art majors this year, the department chose to divide the group into two exhibitions, Associate Professor of Art Read Baldwin said. Students whose projects require more setup and assembly, such as installation and sculptural pieces, were chosen for the first group.
Student work spans a variety of mediums, from photography to oil painting to mixed-media installations. Defer explores themes of memory and recollection in her project, photographs of abandoned spaces taken with a lo-fi Holga camera. Defer is “definitely one of these people where you just sense that this is going to be her life,” Baldwin said. “And her work is just stunning.”
Nicholas Anania of Chevy Chase, Maryland, presents an installation that uses audio, video projection, and light to immerse the viewer in a complex environment.
Sarah Cohen-Smith of New York City will display a series of graffiti-inspired, kaleidoscopic ink drawings, which Baldwin called “filled with whimsy.”
Sam Ebert of Philadelphia formed abstract architectural sculptures made of everyday construction materials.
Using old library catalog cards and photographs, Elise Shattuck of Amherst, New Hampshire, painted a series of dramatic landscapes that explore the relationship between history and memory.
Bethany Stephens of Ashburn, Virginia, created an installation with organic light forms that examine intricate biological relationships. “She’ll have one of the darkened spaces, with these miraculous little LED breathing lights that will be going on and off,” Baldwin said.
Ellie Tomlinson of Washington, D.C., used the combination of bones and chocolate to work with ideas of impulse and nostalgia.
Emily Torrey of Portland, Maine, made a life-sized installation of furniture based on pieces from her childhood bedrooms. Torrey will eventually destroy the bedroom in a performance of physical emotion.
Sophie Yolowitz of New York City also created a bedroom installation, using hand-embroidered texts with wallpaper, bed sheets, lampshades, and carpet to create a dialogue on obsession and rumination.
Sydney Watnick of New York City used her loves of color and chaos to explore adolescent development through large oil paintings.
The Gund Gallery is open from 1-7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 1-10 p.m. Thursday; 1-7 p.m. Friday; and 1-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free. To learn more, call 740-427-5969.
See images from last year's senior capstone.
By Nina Zimmerman ’14