2024 senior art shows open April 21
The 2024 senior art shows feature five studio art majors’ works, including photography, stained glass, fashion design, and painting.
An opening reception will be held from 2–4 p.m. on Sunday, April 21, in the Peter Paul Luce Gallery in McWethy Hall and in Hall-Perrine in the Thomas Commons. Visitors can view the shows from April 21 through May 5. 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 artists describe their work:
Safiyat Aminu
“‘SEEN’ deals with themes of identity and representation. It means to be Black is not to be political. This exhibition is not meant to be political and is simply a magazine and that is what it is. I made a conscious decision to only feature Black women in ‘SEEN’ and even a more conscious decision to only feature Black women on the Cornell campus. I wanted to feature ordinary Black women, the everyday Black woman, the Black woman who is not a celebrity or influencer, the Black woman who is gorgeous, educated, and motivated. In our society, we often see blackness as political or trying to make a statement. My statement is to be SEEN, to not be in the shadows but just simply to be seen.”
Milo McDonald
“‘MILO’ is the debut fashion show by designer Milo McDonald. The show is inspired by mid-century-modern furniture design, and the philosophies that are incorporated into their designs, such as simple, powerful silhouettes, and deliberate textures of quality materials. This can be seen in the runway set in addition to the clothes themselves as it was staged to look like a midcentury living room. The show was also informed by sustainability. All the fabric used in the show was one way or another sustainably sourced or made of sustainable materials. All furniture and props used in the show are from Milo‘s personal living room or office and have all been thrifted or otherwise sustainably attained. There were nine final looks, with 13 unique pieces of clothing all hand sewn and designed by Milo McDonald.”
Audrey Pagel
Audrey Pagel’s exhibition, titled “Do Your Eyes Hurt Yet?,” features a large array of work that attempts to capture the immense beauty and intimacy in all of our surroundings. In this collection, Pagel uses stained glass, collage, paint, pastel, and ink to build layers and depth in each piece of work. The body of work is largely a reflection of the process of creating these pieces, as it is intended for each layer in the artwork to shine through in the final display. With this, it is encouraged that the viewer slows down and looks deeper into the work that is in front of them, finding each layer beneath the next and witnessing the process of expression. Using bright colors, intense detail, and depth in texture, Pagel intends for the viewer to experience an overwhelming presence of beauty, in a way that’s enough to make your eyes hurt.
Madeline Rainey
“What my show is about: ‘Mind. Matter. Misogyny.’ (M.M.M.) is connecting and exploring the behaviors that we as humans share with animals, specifically those regarding the female body. From an anatomical standpoint, we don’t share many physical features but from a societal point of view, we are no better than animals at times. Through a series of paintings, I aim to convey the messages of how the female body is perceived and in turn, how the female mind may think.”
Avery Schroeder
“As both a writer and an artist, my work strives to find a balance and connection between the two mediums. “Descent into Aimless,” based on my novel of the same name, aims to bring a world that exists within my head to life. It invites you to come in and stand where my characters would, and asks the question: How much of a story can be told through its setting?”
