Senior Show features talented artists

Gallery exhibits best artwork created during college education, features variety of mediums

Ann Marie Trietley
Special to The Leader
Event preview

Darcie Hennard/ Photo Editor

Senior painting major, Sheena Gilbert displays her oil paintings in the senior show "Bound".

An artist has the power to summon human emotion. A painting can bring tears, laughter or even terror. Imagine the mystery of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Mona Lisa" or the tranquility of a Cezanne landscape.

These feelings are not limited to art created by world-famous masters. Students at Fredonia have some impressive creations that have the ability to leave their mark on spectators.

The senior art show, titled "Bound," displays the art of graduating seniors in the department of visual arts and new media. A variety of mediums will be represented, including photography, painting, sculpture, performance installation, ceramics, graphic design and drawing.

"Bound" will feature works by graduating seniors Katherine Ayotte, Ashley Bailey, Blake Barit, Emily Churco, Mark Duggan, Sheena Gilbert, Laura Matern, Stephen Nguyen, Amanda Passero, Benjamin Phillips and Amanda Rodriquez. The artists are working towards both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Art degrees.

"The senior show is the culmination of hard work on the part of the artists and a final step in gaining their degrees from SUNY Fredonia," said Tina Hastings, Rockefeller Arts Center's gallery administrator. "The artists are excited about the opportunity to exhibit their work in the professional gallery space."

Ayotte, a senior drawing and painting major, works primarily in charcoal and pencils and a series of her drawings will be featured.

"I chose 24 drawings based on the eight primary emotions studied by Robert Plutchik," Ayotte said. "I wanted to show that although we may be either male, female or whatever, we are all similar through the most basic emotions in our minds. Everyone can recognize emotions, regardless of race, creed or gender. I wanted to show that we are all individuals and are still the same in the basic core of our bodies."

Ayotte currently holds art contracts in Rochester and hopes to be interning or finding a job there next year. Things are looking good for her since her art has been appearing in galleries.

"I came into the art major at the final semester of my senior year, from English," Ayotte said. "When I look back and see the growth that I have exhibited, I am thankful for the amazing professors that have taught me. They have really inspired me to become the person I want to be, mentally and physically."

Passero, a senior painting major works primarily in acrylic paint and also works three-dimensionally with fabric. Latex was used in pieces for the senior show. She also studies fashion and costume design.

"My main source of inspiration is my own personal issues, experiences and visions," Passero said. "The surrounding world and American culture is also an inspiration for my work. The pieces I chose for the show all work together as a series that is a performance piece featuring one painting and a film."

The piece is called Somnambulist Society and will be performed by four other students during the gallery opening from 7:30-8 pm.

"This is a very important series to me because it incorporates my costume design with my painting and ties together many concepts that are present in all of my work at this point," Passero said.

She will have another exibition upstairs in Rockefellar Art Center's Emmitt Christian gallery. The show, called "(S)aint in Candyland," takes place at the same time as the senior art show. These paintings feature a style different from that displayed in the senior show, yet explore some of the same concepts.

After college, Passero will continue to pursue an artistic career by sending out press kits to as many galleries as possible. She will be working full-time at Hot Topic because you have "got to have a day job to start out."

Gilbert, a senior painting major, works primarily in oil and watercolor paints, as opposed to fast-drying, non-toxic acrylics. Her paintings explore her interest in identity issues.

"I chose the most recent series work that I've done in class along with a personal piece in watercolor," Gilbert said. "I chose these because they represent the best of what I've done here at Fredonia as well as encapsulate my current interest of exploring identity. The pieces are incredibly personal and deal with my own fears, as well as exploring ethnicity and how that relates to identity."

After graduation, Gilbert sees herself "bumming in Chicago" and might consider graduate school.

The artists acknowledge the visual arts and new media department for its interdisiplenary curriculum and strong teaching methods. The curriculum contains a mix of studio classes, lectures and seminars.

"The program here is really quite advanced," Gilbert said. "You learn not only technical foundation skills but how to develop your own voice and make it as an artist in the ‘real world.' The teachers here push you to do as much work as you possibly can, to the point where you think you may just go insane but you end up a better artist from the experience."

The department of visual arts and new media requires an acceptable portfolio for admission. Students work in a variety of materials and methods, from ceramics, to photograhpy, to graphic design, which makes them more aware of emerging ideas and technologies.

"You're forced to work in all mediums, in all subject matters," Gilbert said. "Not only to make you a more well-rounded artist but also to incorporate different ideas and techniques into your work."

"Bound" opens with a reception 7-9 pm Nov. 30 in the Rockefeller Arts Center lobby. The show runs from Nov. 30 through Dec. 13.