Today the Bauman Galleries in Founders Hall will be transformed into a wondrous world of art.
The six senior art students that participated in a year-long art independent study program, Juliet Magoon, Eli Tuchler, Sydney Brown, Natalia Petkov, Ben Stinson and Molly Freilich, will present the fruits of their labor in an official gallery style.
The gallery’s subtitle is “Thrive and Seek,” and the work featured will be in a wide range of mediums.
Petkov will present her sculptures, made from dehydrated grass, that take the beauty of nature to a new and enchanting level.
“While the subject I am tackling with this body of work is very dark, I have a lighthearted sense of humor and enjoy making art work that comments on a variety of subject matter,” said Petkov in an email interview with The Guilfordian.
“This body of work will hopefully be one of many that I create. While I plan to continue with this subject matter, I also plan to make work about other things. Basically, it is important to understand that these exhibitions reflect a theme in our lives, but it is not all that we are.”
Tuchler will present his photographs made up of combined film negatives, or images in which light is inverted. This creates otherworldly images that cannot be put into words.
Photography dealing with all things feminine will be presented by Juliet Magoon.
Freilich’s ceramics collection speaks to the stigmas around sexuality.
“I think it’s important to my ceramics that I am a woman in my twenties,” said Freilich in an email interview.
“What I am especially aware of when showing folks my ceramics in a less formal manner is that I major in women’s, gender and sexuality studies as well and sometimes have a different language for discussing, especially when it comes to sex and sexuality.”
Brown will present oil paintings that she has labored over all semester to represent an expansion of herself.
Work with sculpture will also be presented by Ben Stinson. His abstract pieces attempt to capture the issue of child molestation.
The art developed through an arduous process of critiquing and learning. A sample of what is presented can be found on the Guilford Art Department’s website.
“Students typically stretch far beyond their ‘comfort zones’ to realize goals that enable them to ‘be all they can be’ as artists, thinkers, planners and community members,” said Professor of Art Roy Nydorf in an email interview.
“The faculty challenges them with written and verbal communication skills along with the artistic realization of their proposed projects presentation.”
The gallery will be organized by the six students presenting. Their duties range from installing their work to ordering catering. Hosting the gallery teaches the students about the logistics of a professional artist’s career as well as allows them to show off their hard work.
“For me, the goal of this exhibition is to establish myself as an artist, rather than an art student,” said Petkov.
“Learning to create a focused body of work with a hard deadline is a new challenge that we as a group have learned to tackle. Throughout the creation of this exhibit, it has been important to remember this is just one body of work, not my final body of work.
“Learning to hold myself to the standards of a working artist has forced me to adapt to new approaches of art making.”
Anyone is welcome to attend the exhibit, and the artists are ecstatic to show off their work.
“The entire Guilford community is invited and encouraged to attend,” said artist Sydney Brown. “We have also invited friends and family to attend the opening as well.”
