The RC Student Juried Art Show features several student artists and will run until the end of the semester. Three artists included in the exhibition that I’d like to feature are Casey Jong, Heather Barnell, and Samantha Marks. Their contributions to the exhibition include pen-and-ink pieces, pottery, and sculpture pieces, respectively. The other exhibited artists worked with mediums such as painting, photography, and intaglio printmaking.
Jong’s pen-and-ink pieces, Piece 1 and Piece 2, hang side-by-side on the wall. The former piece features a female figure with a melancholic facial expression sitting on a chair next to a small end-table that supports a vase of flowers. She rests her face on her hand and stares into the abyss. The curve of her head resembles the curve of the end-table. Piece 2 features another female figure. She stands alongside a coat-rack and she raises her arms as well as secures her feet in first-position. The curves of her arms resemble the curves of the nearby coat-rack. Jong in Piece 1 and in Piece 2 combines female figures with everyday objects such as end-tables and a coat-racks. The pieces exemplify these combinations of figures and objects in visually-interesting ways.
Barnell’s Untitled consists of an engraved rectangle of clay. The artist engraved the words “Once a kid” and “Always a kid” on adjacent sides of the four-sided piece alongside childlike silhouettes. The other sides of the rectangular piece feature more adultlike silhouettes without the additions of words. The greyish, goldish, and purplish tones of the piece itself were visually-appealing. Untitled, however, was insufficiently lit as well as insufficiently positioned. The viewer struggles to read the engraved words of the darkly-colored piece. Additionally, the piece sits on its table at hip-level rather than at eye-level. The piece, however, still entices and interests the viewer regardless of the fact that viewing the piece at eye-level in a well-lit area would’ve been more ideal.
Finally, Marks’ life-size piece, Say Yes to the Debt, consists of tape, paper, and printed money. The artist sculpted these materials into the shape of a wedding dress. The title of the piece echoes the title of the well-known reality television series (Say Yes to the Dress). Wedding dresses sometimes cost thousands of dollars and the sculpture reduces the dress to its monetary value. The sculpture signifies conspicuous consumption because dress may indicate wealth. Certainly, the wearer of Say Yes to the Debt would conspicuously display his or her wealth. Ultimately, Say Yes to the Debt attracts viewers because of its life-like size as well as because of its surrealistic nature.
The RC Student Juried Art Show runs until December 17th. Additionally, the Residential College Art Gallery is open M-F 10am until 5pm. Catch the exhibition while you can!
