Senior art shows open April 16
The 2023 senior art shows feature works by nine studio art majors and include ceramic sculptures, photographs, and a large-scale installation of illustrations.
An opening reception will be held from 2–4 p.m. on Sunday, April 16, in the Peter Paul Luce Gallery in McWethy Hall, Cole Library, and the Hall-Perrine Room in the Thomas Commons. Visitors can view the shows from April 16 through April 29. The Luce Gallery is open Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–4 pm, and Sunday 2–4 p.m.
Each artist’s show presents a culmination of the year’s work, with a large variety of media and subjects displayed throughout the pieces. The shows are free and open to the public.
All Cornell senior studio art majors receive their own studio spaces and prepare exhibitions consisting of entirely fresh bodies of work in the mediums of their choice. They propose their exhibitions before the department faculty, mount the exhibitions, and advertise and defend their shows in front of the art and art history professors.
The nine artists describe their work:
Willow Barton
“Blonde Bomber” is a small collection of animated memories of the past and present. The animations and writing accompanying them show the relationship between both grief and those who have passed away. These moments are based on everything you’d share with a loved one, but cannot. At the same time, they are a reminder of what life was before grief became a part of it.
Emma Burnett
“Comfort and Conscience” is about nature, representing the comfort and joy that nature brings me, as well as finding a way to spread awareness, make an impact, and alleviate some of the burden on my conscience through my art. My chosen medium for “Comfort” is ceramic sculpture and mixed media, and I hope that these works spark feelings of happiness and whimsy, and transport the viewers to a simpler time in their lives without worries. “Conscience” is made up of collages that feature various animals listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List under the categories of vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. I hope to foster a greater appreciation for these animals through these pieces, as well as encourage the viewer to consider what actions they could take to help ensure these species aren’t lost.
Katie Hurt Haller
The theme of my senior show is my relationship with anxiety. With my scholastic life coming to an end and my future on my own just beginning, my senior year has been anything but calm. Communicating through paintings and sculptures, I focus on my struggle with anxiety; mentally and physically.
Lydia Lines
A coat is thought to keep one warm and safe from the outside, but this creation brings the cold harshness to the inside. The shining, pearlescent exterior of the coat provides a stark contrast to the sharp and dangerous interior. This physical metaphor is applicable to everyones’ hardships, as they have to put up a strong shield to the outside as the pain is dealt within.
Reilley Pucheu
“What Happened?!” is a large-scale installation featuring an illustrative retelling of my childhood memories. The work itself is comprised of an open-faced cube where the viewer is encouraged to walk inside and experience an interactive and immersive display. The illustrations depict stylized interpretations of randomly selected stories from some of my earliest memories to just days before my childhood home burned down. I invite the audience to witness life through a pen and ink tapestry complimented by the flavors, sounds, and smells of my formative years. Lastly, as the contents of my mind (and consequently, this cube) are on some level altered by each interaction I’ve had, the viewers of my show will be able join me as the artists by making marks of their own on this unconventional self-portrait.
Aixa Reyna
“επιζών” (epizó̱n in Greek, which means survivor) is about bringing awareness of sexual assault incidences throughout the community. Through this, I’ll be portraying my subjects in my show as Medusa’s Gaze. Showing my subjects as Medusa, but showing their beauty and their empowerment.
Ryan Ringold
“A Walk in Nature” is about the individual experience. It is supposed to be a reflective moment for the individual. It is also about the connection between reality and perceived experience through the relationship between the 2D image and the brushstrokes making up the image. I chose nature to be representative of the individual experience due to the wide variety of nature itself and the reflectiveness of it.
Diana Shea
I’ve been a collector my whole life. Holding onto objects featured in profound and ordinary moments as a physical way to carry them with me. My show is an exploration of those moments through collages and paintings on found objects. The viewer is invited to experience the extraordinary moments of my life and maybe even see some of their own.
Emma Titus
“Alterations & Repairs” features 20 black-and-white film photos shot on the streets of New York. These images capture current expressions of urban America in 2023. They are meant to provoke thoughtful dialogue about the reality of life in today’s culture.
