MFA exhibit showcased diverse talent among graduate students
On Friday March 30, 2018, the reception for the Master of Fine Arts Exhibit opened to a sizable crowd of art enthusiasts there to support the five graduate students whose work was on display. Artists featured in the exhibit were Langley Anderson, Emily Bowman, Xiaomeng Li, Will W. Sawyer and Kaitlynn Slaughter. The five master’s candidates brought an array of diverse styles and ideas to the Art Museum at the Covington Center.
Langley Anderson’s work utilized electron and stereo microscopes to photograph microscopic details of an array of objects and organic materials. Her technique blends the captured imagery with color and space manipulation to create artwork that blends science with abstraction.
Emily Bowman created a series of watercolors focused on capturing the subtleties of emotion. “I chose to work in watercolor because it requires a certain amount of bravery. There is little room for hesitation as watercolor is not as forgiving as other media,” says Bowman. Her works emphasize mood and emotion over photographic realism.
Video: Students and faculty discuss the Spring 2018 MFA Show
Graphic design student Xiaomeng Li used her talents to create a series of posters aimed at drawing attention to a growing social issue. Her works address the issue of phubbing, a somewhat recent term which blends the words “phone” and “snubbing.” The term refers to the act of paying more attention to one’s phone than with close friends and family members during social engagements.
Will W. Sawyer presented an extensive collection of ceramic works for his exhibit. His high-fire stoneware is intended to represent various aspects of the human form. “Each work is conceptualized to represent the human form and this is symbolized by the shape of the piece, the colors, and the blends of the glaze,” said Sawyer.
Kaitlynn Slaughter’s work featured diptychs of schools named after Confederate leaders from the Civil War along with demographic information about each institution. Slaughter says the project was inspired by her upbringing in Virginia along with renewed controversies over the Confederate flag that have frequented news cycles over the past few years. “Suddenly my history became a ‘heritage,’ and I was forced to acknowledge the fact that seemingly everything I grew up with and around is a product of the Civil War,” said Slaughter.
The MFA exhibit was on display from March 26 through April 2, 2018.