The annual Senior Art Exhibit will close out the fall exhibition schedule at Concordia's Marxhausen Gallery of Art. This year's seniors include Brittany Mikeska, Nora Rolf, Aaron Schimm and Gregory Skeen.
The show opens Dec. 1. A reception will be held the following Sunday, Dec. 7, from 1-4 p.m. The students will speak about their work at 2 p.m. All are welcome to the free event.
The four artists all chose different mediums and techniques, including collage, pottery, sculpture and drawing. The exhibit itself is also intended to give them an opportunity to grow as artists.
"The senior show allows students to move beyond assignment-driven motivation and develop a theme to explore," said James Bockelman, associate professor of art and director of the Marxhausen Gallery. "Consequently, their studio production should reflect a more nuanced body of work that both demonstrates a level of mastery in media and a personality of expression."
The exhibitors are also required to organize the publicity for their exhibition, curate and install the work in a professional gallery environment. "These skills will translate into the classroom or the artist's studio," said Bockelman.
Brittany Mikeska, from Houston, Texas, is earning her B.F.A. in art education. Her work is a series of multi-layered collage paintings.
"I use my art as a release or outlet, to capture my thoughts and emotions. It is one main way in which I am able to speak," said Mikeska. "My pieces consist of transferred images used for textural or compositional purposes. I enjoy working with physical layers and how I move back and forth between layers of paint and transferred images. This process reminds me of the humbling experiences throughout my life, the uncertainties and joys."
Mikeska feels as if she is also on exhibit during this show since her work is so self-expressive. She hopes, however, that viewers will bring some of their own insight to the work. "I do not feel that the viewer has to feel what I did while creating each piece," she said.
Nora Rolf, from Castle Rock, Colo., is earning her B.F.A. in studio art with a minor in graphic design. Her thesis project is a collection of graphite drawings of nude women framed with wood.
"My work is the product of my personal struggle to appreciate femininity," Rolf said. "At times I have felt inadequate in being a woman. My femininity was suppressed for a long time, and now I embrace it."
The physical mediums of the work are also important to Rolf. "[They] are significant for their imperfections. I drew the nudes on recycled computer paper and made the frames out of scrap wood. The materials become beautiful because of their character and their potential."
Aaron Schimm, from Bay City, Mich., is earning his B.F.A. in studio art with a minor in music. He will be exhibiting clay pieces and sculptures in clay and wood.
"I am deeply focused on precision and craftsmanship in my work," Schimm said. "I will strip away excess 'stuff' and zone in on the simple essence of a form. Hence, my bowls are clean and exact, and though my sculptures are more abstract, they still retain the precision of line that my pottery does."
Schimm hopes the viewer will be able to simply appreciate the simplicity of his work. "Just as a simple sweet melody, or even just one or two notes, can pull at ones heart, I hope that they may see a similar beauty in the lines and surfaces of my work," he said.
Gregory Skeen's work is a collection of clay bowls and bowl forms created by throwing on the potter's wheel and hand building. Skeen is from Wood River, Neb., and is earning his B.F.A. in art education.
"I have chosen to work with clay because it allows me to work with a lot of different ideas through different methods and techniques. I have really grown to enjoy the versatility and the pliability of this medium," said Skeen.
With the bowl forms, Skeen says he is exploring the concept of containment. "To me bowls can hold and keep safe all sorts of items, from food to flowers. As I continued to explore by opening up the form through the use of lines and shapes, the form is no longer contained by the space, but is instead a part of the space."
The exhibition runs through Tuesday, Dec. 16. The Marxhausen Gallery is the on-campus exhibition space for Concordia and hosts a variety of artists' exhibitions each year. It is located in Jesse Hall and is open Monday-Friday between 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.