Exhibition at Bradbury Features Graduating Art Students
JONESBORO – The 2019 Senior Art Exhibition at Arkansas State University will open to the public with a reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at Bradbury Art Museum.
Work by eight graduating seniors in the Department of Art + Design will be included. Featured artists include Ashley Buazard of Jonesboro, Ethan Farris of Mountain View, Mallory Flippin of Jonesboro, Omphile Magome of South Africa, Colen McDaniel of North Little Rock, Madeline Jennings McMahan of Jonesboro, Spencer Smith of Manila, and Amy Myre’ Williams of Poplar Bluff.
The exhibition continues through Wednesday, May 8, at Bradbury Art Museum, which is in Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Dr. Admission is free.
Buazard’s sculptures of imaginary creatures have been shown throughout campus, including the Fine Arts Center Gallery, Delta Center, Humanities and Social Sciences Building, and Dean B. Ellis Library. In 2018 she became a founding member of the Sculpture Club, where she has the role of vice president. She has actively served the community by donating several of her artworks to auctions and charities. This May she will graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in sculpture. After graduation she plans to make props and special effects for films.
In her artist statement she says, “My work focuses on the weird. I have a fascination for horror, fantasy, and storytelling. My goal in my art is to invoke a response of fear or awe. I strive to make scenes and beasts that seem familiar, but with a darker twist. I make every effort to build a reality that combines ours with one I can only wish existed. My writing has allowed me to bring my work to life, taking it to an existence beyond its current location and placing it in its own world.”
Farris is the recipient of the 2018 Chancellor’s Award from the Art Student Union Annual Juried Student Exhibition held in the Fine Arts Center Gallery. His work has also been seen in previous Art Student Union exhibitions and in the NEA Artist Collective’s Winter Art Walk held at the Garage in Jonesboro. Farris will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio with an emphasis in ceramics, drawing, and painting.
Farris states, “Raised in Mountain View, I’ve been surrounded by the culture of the Ozarks. With influences of handmade ceramics and mountain ranges around me, these works represent my upbringing and who I am.”
Flippin also known as the “cat artist” has shown her work in many exhibitions on campus and in downtown Jonesboro. Her art is inspired by the unique personalities of cats and their kooky nature. In 2016 she exhibited in the Art Student Union Annual Juried Student Exhibition held in the Fine Arts Center Gallery, where she was awarded third place. She has participated in many art fairs and shows and she serves as a member of the NEA Artist Collective and the Society of Feline Artists. She will earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art this May. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in art.
Flippin says, “In this body of work I address the common house cat. The cats are adorned with ornaments and props inspired by the baroque and rococo period. These pieces are intended to be intriguing and humorous.”
Magome was born in Mafikeng, South Africa and raised in Johannesburg. His body of work consists of prints that focus on the restoration of his ancestral culture. In 2019 his linocut was included in the A-State Tributary magazine. Magome will earn his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in printmaking this spring. After graduation and a visit to his home he plans to return to the U.S. and work toward a master’s degree in art.
Discussing his philosophy of art he states, “In life we learn, we grow and we change. Humanity often leaves footprints behind as we find glory in leaving our mark and having our names live forever. Artifacts, scriptures and symbolic imagery are the sources from which I draw my inspiration - remnants of the past that could shed light on a great future.”
McDaniel is a sculptor who works primarily in metal assemblage. Simple in appearance, these works are often self-reflective and hold deeper meaning than what is readily apparent.
He has displayed his work in multiple locations across the campus including the Fine Arts Center Gallery, Delta Center, Humanities and Social Sciences Building, and Dean B. Ellis Library. He has also shown his award-winning work in Colorado and throughout the Mid-South. This spring after receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture he intends to travel, see the world, enjoy what it has to offer, and to share those experiences though his art.
McDaniel states, “My work is less about altering materials, and more about altering my perception of found objects. The way I work is derivative of cloud spotting, finding shapes in the clouds, which has been a favorite pastime of mine since childhood. Due to this, much of my work revolves thematically around nature and the way it relates to society.
McMahan is a painter who explores beauty, spirituality, ephemerality, and decay in her work. She is an active student who has been awarded two merit scholarships from the Department of Art + Design and a grant-in-aid position as the Fine Arts Center gallery assistant. She currently serves as the president of the Art Student Union, volunteers as a mentor to freshman art students, and is an intern at the Bradbury Art Museum where she works assisting the museum’s education coordinator.
Her work has been selected for several local and national juried shows, including the 2016-2019 Art Student Union Annual Juried Student Exhibitions at the Fine Arts Center Gallery and the 2018 5x5x5 Miniature Works Exhibition at the River Oaks Square Arts Center in Alexandria, La. She will receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts in May, and plans to pursue a master's the following August.
McMahan states, “This body of work has been a meditation on decay and spirituality. Plant life, tattoos, and statuary are especially important symbols of these ideas for me, and thus are heavily included in my work. There is a duality present in them all where they are both enduring and temporary at the same time. Sculptures are capable of outlasting their makers by centuries, but they also break and crumble to dust. Tattoos are often discussed in relation to their permanence; they will be outlived by most other forms of art because their canvas is human skin. Flowers regenerate with each returning spring, but they are killed by a few hours of frost and wither before our eyes. In terms of Christian spirituality, this duality is present in human life as well. We are exceedingly temporary shells that house immortal souls."
Smith’s work has been displayed in various places across campus including the Fine Arts Center Gallery, Dean B. Ellis Library, Humanities and Social Sciences building, and Delta Center for Economic Development. She has twice participated in the 24-Hour Art Challenges at Arkansas State, one which was featured at Create @ State. She will receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in sculpture this May.
According to Smith, “This series of work deals with finding beauty in the ordinary. Using common, everyday items that one may not think of as beautiful, I have created ‘designer’ gowns. The series stems from my interest in Hollywood red carpet fashion and using everyday objects. My goal was to create expensive looking dresses out of inexpensive and nontraditional materials. From a distance the viewer may see a red carpet ready gown, but at a closer look the true material is revealed.”
Williams’ love of art blossomed when she was very young. After attending online classes at Art Institute of Pittsburg and the American Intercontinental University she transferred to A-State. This spring she will earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture.
As a student she exhibited her work extensively on campus including the Fine Arts Center Gallery, Delta Center, Humanities and Social Sciences Building, and Dean B. Ellis Library. She was awarded a grant-in-aid position for sculpture and was a founding member of the Sculpture Club, where she currently serves as president.
In Williams’ artist statement she says, “This series of work focuses on representing personalities of those near and dear to me as animals and trees. I chose the specific animals due to their traits and characteristics. My love of animals, deep connection to nature and my family were the basis of my inspiration.”
BAM hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, noon to 7 p.m. Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday and by appointment. The exhibition and the reception are admission-free and open to the public. For additional information please contact the museum at (870) 972-2567.
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