Student showcase is diverse display

By Jess Camp

Published Dec. 7, 2007

Not many people are tempted to pick up used hair ties on the street. But since August, that's what Katherine Bromley has been doing.

From the day four months ago when she was assigned a found art project, Bromley has wandered campus looking for the elastic bands. Each one she found was set aside for the project, a sculpture made entirely of the found used bands tied together with string.

Today, the result of her collection is on display.

The George Caleb Bingham Gallery, located in the Fine Arts Building, is hosting Supermarket Standard, an exhibit showcasing the work of the art department's graduating seniors.

The two-week exhibition features ceramics, drawing, graphic design, video and photography.

Although it's a piece she's proud of, Bromley said she is worried about its reception.

"The students will probably understand it better," Bromley said. "But my family will be like 'What have you been doing with your four years at school?'" Bromley said.

Senior Ben Chlapek's creation was a silk-screen depicting an open-mouthed man holding a house above his head and shaking it. In the project, entitled "Home Sweet Home," a person falls out of the house and into the man's mouth, presumably to be swallowed and eaten.

Chlapek has been creating silk screens for about a year, and his current project focuses on the idea that people feel safe and comfortable in their homes, whether or not they actually should.

"It's about the illusion of safety," Chlapek said. "It can be nerve-racking though, because it's letting people see a part of you."

There was a lot to look at in the small gallery. One of the more eye-catching pieces was a small table and chair made out of tennis balls glued together. There were also neon-colored paintings, creative stationary and a bust of someone's head.

A soundtrack consisting of crickets and blowing wind played, so the people perusing had some ambient sounds to accompany the sights.

"It's really crowded, but in a good way," senior Elizabeth Gaines said. "There's a lot of work to look at."

Gaines submitted a portrait of the singer Morrissey's head, but instead of using lines to draw it, she used different-sized words to create the outline. A fan of The Smiths, Gaines used the band's lyrics. The portrait took Gaines a total of 20 hours to complete.

Conventional art isn't the only kind in the exhibition, evidenced by senior Lucy Hewett's display of labels and logos for wine bottles. Hewett said she often becomes inspired at random times.

"I always keep a sketchbook with me," Hewett said. "Sometimes I'll end up with ideas in any notebook for any class."

Before she begins a project, Hewett lets ideas stew in her mind for about an hour, and then she uses her class time to start the projects. Hewett said the classroom has a very collaborative atmosphere.

"I like getting people's comments," Hewett said. "I also like looking at their photography and artwork — it inspires me."

One artist, Shannon Connell, said that although the pieces in the exhibition are good, they are not the best his classmates could have produced.

"It's a hodgepodge of art," Connell said. "It's a weird mix of things. Most of the people have done better, so it's not a fair representation."

Connell produced a painting, sculptures and metal designs for the exhibition. His painting is of a girl in the woods under a tree and has red curtains painted in the foreground to make it seem that the girl is in a play of some sort.

"I'm not nervous — I'm confident with these pieces," Connell said. "I've spent a lot of time on them and am ready for people to look."

Senior Melissa Bauer painted a portrait of men in Army uniforms standing around a base.

"I have two brothers in Iraq, and I painted it from photos that they sent me," she said.

She agreed this show is a good introduction to the art department.

"The art department is small and secluded, so this might be an interesting way for people to see what the department has to offer," she said.

Gaines also thinks more people should be aware of the department.

"I think the art department is a great incubator for creativity," she said. "You get a glimpse of what we do and how we do it. People should check out the show because it's fellow students that did the work. People forget that there's an art department, so it's interesting to see what we've been doing for the past four to six years."