Gallery Talks

Gallery Talk - Art and Design Graduation Show (Seniors of Studio and Technology, Fine Arts, and Photography program)

The graduation show is an exhibition with all of art and design undergraduate programs. The Rueff gallery featured works from studio and technology, fine arts and the photography program. I felt that this exhibition had a wide variety of mediums to it, which provided good exposure to people who are unaware of all that Art and Design has to offer. My favorite pieces of the exhibition were those done from Sara Gordon, Sara Kramer, Jiahul Que, and Dillion Mills.

Sara Gordon's work done using mixed media and her prints woven into cloth were very creative. There seemed to be story within each one. Almost as if she was trying to figure out her own identity. She also has numerous amounts of work that was completed, showing she was very active as a student.

What captured my attention first throughout the entire gallery was Dillion Mills' sculpture of a camel made out of camel cigarette butts and packaging. At first I assumed that he picked them up from the ground. But after I read his artist statement I realized that it was made out of his own addiction. I really could feel that the artwork was more than just about his addiction, but other actions, whether they would be considered good or bad by society, he has done throughout his four years of college.

Another work I found to be very creative was Sara Kramer's Untitled fine arts works. At first I thought they were abstract water colors, but they are actually Graphite and Acrylic on Mylar. What was so interesting about them was they were hung from the ceiling away from the wall, and on the wall were mirrors. These mirrors reflected the back of the works which showed two faces. I found this work to be very abstract and interactive with it's users.

Jiahul Que's photography work also stunned me. I wish I could do topographic photographs like her work. Her work revolves around space, her life, and being reborn, a continuous circle of life. The work was overall very beautiful, and I like how it was a series, so I could compare each piece.

Overall the exhibition was very inspiring. Everyone's work looked very well done with different themes that made me think about different subjects. Overall well done and congratulations to the new graduates!




Gallery Talk - Undergraduate Show

The undergraduate show is a juried exhibition for undergraduate art and design students at Purdue University. It is open to the public for two weeks. While visiting the exhibition I observed many different artwork styles and mediums. In my opinion some work was better than others.

My favorite work from the exhibition if Fantastic Beast, a graphic drawing by Carly Conley. I would love to know more about the concept. The shadows and highlights are well balanced and create a 3-dimentional effect. There is a fluidity about the transitions from animal part to animal part to machine. The anatomy of the mythical beast is accurate. The lion-like creature has a whimsical feel. I would personally love to try this assignment.

The work titled An Artist Shelf, made with graphic by Piper Stamper I feel needs improvement. It feels as though the artist does not have a strong grasph of being bold with contrasts of highlight and shadow. He/She also did not draw the eyes of a person in a photograph of the work. I do not know if this was intentional or unintentional. On one hand it may be not to distract from the work since eyes are a powerful subject matter. However, on the other hand it looks like they just didn't know how to draw eyes, so they left them blank. It is the only part of the work that look incomplete.

As a graphic artist I also was honored to have three of my works in the show, and win two awards. I am most proud of my Mixology iPhone wallpaper works. It is one of my most successful works, it winning two awards in the exhibition alone. The color choices have a science behind them and my drawings are aesthetically pleasing to viewer. I think my work I am most disappointed in is my Submerge water bottle branding. This is mainly due to my questioning of whether or not the product would be as successful on the market as what I once thought. I think my images may scare some audiences away.

I believe the best work is Ben Stibal's Pod Coffee Table. The craftmanship of the furniture is beautiful and the concept of the seats and table combined for storage is helpful with saving space. I am always a fan of metal and wood combination.

Overall I found the exhibition was wonderfully displayed. All of the works has some meaningful take away for its visitors. I also think there was a good balance between all of the majors of art and design within the exhibition.