PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Three University of Maine at Presque Isle students participating in the Fine Art Program’s Senior Thesis class showcased their work in the BFA Student Mini-Show, an end-of-the-semester group exhibition, on Dec. 7 in the Pullen Gallery, located on the third floor of Pullen Hall. Each student gave a short talk about their work and their process. Light refreshments will be served.
The students – Amanda Giberson, Lila McCrum and Dylan Ouellete – are enrolled in ART 499A Senior Thesis Project and will feature work they have done during the fall 2023 semester and in preparation for their capstone shows during spring 2024.
The Senior Thesis Project is an intensive, two-semester course for seniors in the studio art major. As a foundation for becoming a visual arts professional, students work toward developing a disciplined studio practice and honing their individual artistic voice, culminating in a cohesive body of work for an individual art exhibition at the end of the Spring semester. In addition to the body of work that they create, each student writes a comprehensive thesis paper detailing their artistic process, influences, inspirations, and the relationship between form and meaning in their work.
The first semester focuses on technical development, experimentation, and exploration of a variety of approaches to the use of visual language as a means of communication, as students work toward refining the concepts for their spring semester thesis exhibitions. Individual studio work is supplemented with weekly seminar meetings, during which the students and the instructor discuss work completed during the week, along with in-depth discussions of specific ideas, concepts, problems, and solutions that arise out of the work that they produce. The course meets concurrently with the senior research project, in which students study, research, and discuss the work of other artists and art movements as they develop their understanding of the direct correlation between form and meaning in art and their ability to articulate this understanding verbally and in writing.
For this mid-year exhibition, each student has created a small body of work that represents the culmination of their learning and discovery during this semester.
Giberson’s exhibition Baggage explores emotions and the processing of trauma through mixed media sculpture incorporating a variety of textural materials.
McCrum, whose work focuses on narratives, emotions, and spirituality through the use of visual imagery, will present a group of watercolor paintings meant to convey the true meaning of Christmas.
Ouellette presented The Ceramic Project: Mini Show a continuation of his ever-expanding exploration of the possibilities of ceramic sculpture, incorporating the use of lighting, electrical circuits, and glass components integrated with his ceramic pieces to create a visually dynamic, yet unified, body of work.
Most of the work was created during the final weeks of the term. Students were solely responsible for the content and presentation of their work.
For more information, please contact Reed Art Gallery Director Frank Sullivan at frank.sullivan@maine.edu or 207-694-1920.
