Next Friday, May 31, the annual Senior Exhibition will open at Wriston Art Center Galleries. The show will include a varied array of paintings, prints, photography, ceramics, prints, and sculpture chosen from the thirteen Class of ’02 Art Majors’ finest work. Three senior artists, Kiana Neal, Kate Troyer, and Heidi Romanshek, turned down their stereo and air momentarily in their Wriston workshops to offer a few hints about the exhibition. But, warned Troyer, “Don’t write too much, they really have to experience it—I don’t want to give it all away.”
As Kiana Neal chatted about her contributions to the upcoming exhibition, she glued boiled spaghetti into tight spiraling patterns on a bright blue canvas. “It’s not a common medium,” commented Neal, who will also contribute a series of paintings to the exhibition. Neal is also interested in the metals and photography media, but her current project is definitely keeping her busy.
Kate Troyer’s contributions to the exhibition include two examples of soft sculpture, or sculptural installation, and an additional three-part ceramic work. Troyer put the mixed medium of soft sculpture to use with stuffing and fabric, along with the skillful command of a sewing machine, to create works entitled “Hang up Your Hang Ups,” and “Obsessions.” Both works reference the body and individuals’ perception of the body, but descriptions of the works do not compare to the actual viewing experience, which is any thing but blatantly obvious. Troyer’s ceramic work, “Bad Babies” is a three-part ensemble of infant ceramics which also fit into her pattern of symbolism. Next year, Troyer is enrolled in a work-study program in Australia, and plans to eventually pursue graduate degrees in fashion design and studio art.
Heidi Romanshek talked about her part in the senior art exhibition while she put the final touches on a large nude oil painting. Romanshek commented that it usually takes four to six weeks to finish a piece like this figure. She is contributing four oil paintings to the exhibition, one of which is a self portrait. In addition to the paintings, a display of Romanshek’s photography will also be shown at the exhibition. Romanshek said that to accumulate the photography, she drove around with her assistant and snapped anything that grabbed her interest, making for an eclectic mix of 8X10 gelatin silver prints. She said that the process of creating and displaying twenty photographs is “making [her] insane” but the salon-style, or grid-like, display of photographs promises a mysterious, theme-less intrigue.
The Senior Art Exhibition will display Romanshek, Troyer, and Neal’s work in addition to premium examples from this year’s ten other senior art majors. The show will run until August 5 during normal Wriston hours: Tuesday-Friday 10:00a.m.-4:00p.m. and Saturday and Sunday noon – 4:00 p.m.
Seniors provide preview for upcoming art exhibition
