Art is indefinable,” senior fine arts major Melissa “Mikki” Stewart said. “I don’t think it should be restricted by my own definition of my art.”
Stewart is one of six seniors who displayed their works at a gallery opening, held at ArtsPress on Friday, Nov. 14. Her works included pieces called “One Artist’s Trash…,” “Phoenix Nest,” “Barely Holding On” and “Maiko.”
Also in the fine arts seminar are Rebecca Nelson, Elizabeth Hirshberg, Taylor “Daisy” Curtain, Danielle Nelson and Ellyn Frisch. The artists included work in the form of photographs, bronze, mixed media, glass, ceramics, prints and sculpture. From the pieces to the creative processes of the artists, each had a different style and method.
R. Nelson included a glass piece called “Buried” and a ceramic piece called “Birdcage.” She explained that her inspiration for “Buried” came from a love of skeletal features, because they can be identified on every person, whatever the person looks like on the outside.
“[I thought the pieces] were a beautiful way to express that,” Nelson said.
Hirshberg’s work was inspired largely by her hometown of Martha’s Vineyard. The work she displayed were titled “Ocean Debris,” “Martha’s Vineyard West Chop Lighthouse #1” and “The Sound of Music.”
“‘The Sound of Music’ was a piece I made with plastic ears and a metronome,” Hirshberg said. “I made it in dedication of my younger brother who has a hearing disorder, but continues to play music.”
D. Nelson focuses her art on her life experiences. She created “Technicolor Horse” and “Boathouse Sunset” after horseback riding for a large part of her life and growing up near Boathouse Row in Philadelphia, Pa.
“As an artist, I work to develop drawings, paintings, prints and sculptures that speak to me and to others,” Nelson said.
The artists were expected to write a statement that explained the pieces they included in the show, their artistic style or their common inspirations. As a part of their senior seminar, fine arts majors are expected to present their work in a show. Though this is part of every seminar class’ syllabus, this is the first time the students have had a direct hand in creating the show. The students have each been featured in art shows before, some as early as elementary school, but composing the event was a skill they had to develop.
“They learned some of the realities of putting a show together and make it successful,” Mr. Milton Friedly, professor of art, said.
The students each had a role to play in creating the show. The goal was to create a cohesive project for which each could take personal ownership. Each of the artists presented between two and four pieces at the show. Some were creations of this semester, while others were created as many as two years ago.
All of the pieces have a story, even if the artists choose not to share it. Several of the artists prefer to let the art speak for itself, rather than impress meaning upon it, like Stewart.
“Photography is my main passion. I have a lot of love for it and it helps keep me calm,” Curtain said. “I almost always take my camera with me and if something catches my eye, I take a picture.”
She included two photographs in the show, entitled “Eddie” and “Schuylkill River;” the inspiration for which she found in the natural areas near her home.
The gallery will remain open until mid-January and can be viewed during ArtsPress’s business hours.
In January, Jeneva Augello, the owner of ArtsPress, hopes to open another gallery of student art. Gary Siegel, owner of Peach Alley Court, donated the food for the gallery, hoping to encourage participation in the arts. He hopes to take part in the upcoming event, as well.
