Behind the scenes of this weekend’s festivities for Super Bulldog Weekend the fine art concentration senior thesis students were hard at work in the Department of Art Gallery in preparation for their art show.
Throughout the past school year, five senior art students have learned the intricacies of assembling a professional art show, an asset various members of the Mississippi State University Department of Art faculty noted was lacking in their own senior experiences.
Andre Hernandez, thesis student in charge of public relations, explained how each semester has a distinct arrangement of goals.
“The first semester is dedicated to researching, writing or talking about our work or ideas and experimenting with ideas and materials,” Hernandez said. “The last semester we enroll in a thesis course. In this course, each student takes on a certain job such as public relations, didactics, design, etc. to develop the show. We do this while also developing the body of work that will be on display.”
Hernandez believes although the class of five is smaller than the average thesis class, the final exhibit is a better product.
“A smaller group means the individual workload of developing the show is greater,” Hernandez said. “However, it allows for a cleaner, more organized atmosphere within the gallery.”
Brent Funderburk, head of the thesis program, noted the laundry list of skills and knowledge concerning the world of art and art practice the senior thesis course bestows upon the students.
“(The students) each must chair a task that leads the group either to develop identity, public relations or share professional areas and responsibilities as they work toward the creation of the work,” he said.
The students gain an understanding on all aspects of creating a professional exhibit, including documentation, archiving, hosting receptions, installing work, disassembling work and designing a show.
Funderburk said the entire show is designed around a concept the students research and decide on as a group.
“Students start thesis and research or present concepts in ‘Research’ (a course in the second to last senior semester) and propose these initial ideas to a major or thesis professor or committee chair,” he said.
The show this year is titled “Metamorphosis,” with a focus on the idea of dealing with change. The students assembled and distributed press releases for the exhibit. It defines the word “change” as “a simple word that can provoke feelings of joy, sorrow, anxiety and even fear.”
They, then, pose the question: “How does one deal with change?” The response is five bodies of work created by the individual students.
For Hernandez, the artistic manifestation of change came through the display of change over time in his work.
“My personal work is a display of the changes my idea and work process have undergone in the past year. They are a window into how I began and where I have ended up,” he said. “I began experimenting with acrylic and charcoal while also developing my idea around September of last year.”
Mary-Lucas Halliwell, Sarah Kilpatrick, Amanda LeClair and Landen Olivia Peairs round out the class and explore a wide range of content and media. Halliwell expresses change experienced through the loss of a dear friend, while LeClair “presents a metaphor for the delicateness and complexity of the human mind,” as the press release explains.
“Metamorphosis” will be unveiled in the Department of Art Gallery, located in McComas Hall today. The show will remain open through April 22. A public reception will be held in the gallery today from 5:30 – 7 p.m.
