“Entangled,” the senior art exhibit, enters the Nordstrand Art Gallery in the Conn Library today, March 25, with an opening reception at 4:30 p.m. and will run until April 22.
The nine seniors who have art being showcased in the exhibit include studio art majors Alexandra Splittgerber, Elise White, Prim S., Adrian Huff and education majors Brooke Daughenbaugh, Jazmyne Roach, Perla Ramirez, Ruby Golyar and Destynni Hendrickson.
The name of the exhibit, “Entangled,” was created by Splittgerber who took time to come up with a name and create a poster that showed how the art is connected even if it doesn’t look like it should be.
“Our art is vastly different in styles and themes, but it all has a connection and an impact on each other,” Splittgerber said. “Whether they were created in the same class, or inspired others, our experiences as students together these past four years have influenced us all and even if we realize it or not, our artwork is all connected, no matter how different it may look.”
The exhibit is a chance for the artists to share their art from all their years at WSC along with specific pieces made for the gallery. In addition, the exhibit will also consist of all kinds of mediums including printmaking, oil paints, acrylics and more.
“I have a larger tarot card series that’s making it in,” Huff said. “They’re all prints of like different styles…There’s aquatint, copper etching, color reduction, there’s a dry point one in there, too.”
Not only are different mediums being used by each artist, but each artist is sharing their own message to share their personalities using different styles of storytelling.
“Art has always kind of been my way to try and connect with people,” Huff said. “So, for me, I do a lot of horror or horror adjacent things, but even if it causes shock or discomfort, it’s one of those things where it’s a storytelling device where I want to kind of in the same style as a horror movie, draw people in.”
Some of the artists take personal experiences or politics to share their message and how it affects them and relates to others.
“Through my art, I depict the human experience, often through a self-portrait,” Splittgerber said. “With my primary piece [I Hate the Dentist (and the Feeling is Mutual)], it brings attention to my very imperfect teeth, showing a common insecurity, with the frustration of trying to fix it.”
“I’m a very, political artist, I would say,” Prim S. said “I make large statements. I talk about very hot topics… ‘Feminized’ is the piece and there’s a lot going around transgender people and I myself am transgender and so the piece is about the effects of societal pressure and hate towards transgender people and what it does to them and what it forces them into.”
Part of the gallery is showing off the work of the artists, which also shows the growth and lessons each artist has learned throughout each year.
“I have learned so much through these four years as an art student at WSC,” Splittgerber said. “I came into college with very minimal formal art training and the professors truly helped me get to the next level in my artistic ability. I found my voice in my art and have made artwork that I would have never thought possible before college.”
The gallery is the like the final ‘victory lap’ Prim S. and Huff talked about along with it being their chance to show off their growth as an artist.
“This gallery is something I have been looking forward to for a long time,” White said. “Not only does it give us an opportunity to have our work shown in a professional gallery setting but it allows us to celebrate our work and how far we have come.”
