Thirteen graduating seniors earning Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees will present a tableau of years of hard work in Mississippi State’s senior BFA art exhibition, Naked Sponges.
The show will open today at 10 a.m. and continue through April 23 in the Department of Art Gallery in McComas Hall and the new MSU Visual Arts center.
Naked Sponges is sponsored by the Department of Art Gallery and the College of Architecture, Art and Design.
Anna Haley, a senior art major with a concentration in photography in the show, said this year’s class chose the name Naked Sponges.
“[We chose the word] ‘naked’ because we are exposing what we know and who we are, and [the word] ‘sponges’ because we have spent so much time absorbing this information,” Haley said.
Gallery director Robert Ring said the art show is a collection of hard work on display.
“This show represents the fruition of years of art study and studio work done by our graduating seniors, and this is their entry into the professional world of exhibiting artists,” he said. “It is a coming-out party if you will.”
Haley said the process of presenting her thesis work has been an intense, exciting process.
“Everyone’s work is beautiful. The show looks great &mdash it is one of the best shows I’ve seen, not just because of the fact that I am in it,” she said.
Haley said MSU provided studios for the students to work in, which was wonderful.
“This is exciting because everyone’s artwork is a part of them,” she said.
Haley’s artwork is a comparison of females and Barbies through photography. Her pictures portray images of Barbie and actual human beings, and they are presented as a guessing game of which one is real.
“I grew up with Barbies, and through my work I have learned that Barbie is more of a negative influence than a positive one,” Haley said. “Barbie was modeled after the female, but now it seems that females are being modeled after Barbie.”
Jennifer Aldridge, a senior art major with a concentration in painting, will also be presenting her work at the show.
“The art program at Mississippi State is surprisingly intense. If you’re not interested, you won’t last long. It is very professional and exciting &mdash with your work, you tell something to the world that is very important,” she said. “We have a very diverse group of artists and we are all very excited.”
Aldridge said she feels honored to have been a part of the art department.
“The quality of work continues to surprise me,” she said. “Our professors are serious and are very committed to the students. I feel very privileged to study with everyone I have studied with.”
Ring said because MSU is a community with cultural values and ideals that are expressed often on campus, he encourages everyone to attend the show.
“It’s important that students are aware of and share and participate in the cultural activities that originate right here on campus,” he said. “There are so many talented people, brilliant ideas and committed individuals constantly being added into the mix of MSU that it would be a shame to miss out on an opportunity to partake in the cultural experiences that MSU has to offer.”
This exhibition also marks the grand opening of the Visual Arts Center, located in Building One at 888 University Drive.
Ring said the Visual Arts Center represents MSU’s growing commitment to the arts and adds a new gallery to campus to accompany the McComas Art Gallery in exhibiting students, faculty and visiting artists.
A public reception for Naked Sponges will be held on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in McComas Hall and will continue from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the MSU Visual Arts Center. A shuttle will be provided for transportation between the two locations.
For more information about Naked Sponges or the Department of Art at Mississippi State contact Brent Funderburk, senior fine arts coordinator, or Ring by calling 325-2970 or e-mailing [email protected].