By: Steven Bianco
Posted In: News
Photo credit: Stephanie Turaj
Senior Kristina Hern’s project “Beans and Books” is displayed in the Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery.
Creativity is in the air at the Antone Center as Salve senior art majors have worked diligently over the past few weeks to organize the annual Art Senior Thesis Exhibits. The exhibition has stood as the capstone experience for art majors at Salve for 30 years, according to Art Department Chairperson, Barbara Shamblin. Shamblin stressed her hopes of what senior art majors will take from developing these exhibits, and also gave insight into her involvement with this enterprise.
“For the senior majors, this experience is a daunting challenge,” said Shamblin. “and calls upon their best skills for research, synthesis, evaluation and revision of an idea into its final form for presentation and defense.” Art and Interactive Communication majors (ICT) majors are required to take part in thesis projects during their senior year at Salve Regina, in which they are expected to professionally display and sustain pieces of their own artwork before their fellow students, as well as the Salve Regina University faculty. In regard to her participation with these exhibits, Shamblin said, “I am presently the chairperson of the department, and therefore teach one section of the thesis class, and help the students work towards their individual goals all semester long.” In order to properly coordinate the exhibits, Shamblin met with assistant art professor Bert Emerson, coordinator of the ICT program, twice weekly over the course of this semester. Emerson was responsible for teaching the second section of the thesis class. The Art Senior Thesis Exhibits were opened to the public on Nov. 17 at the Dorrance H. Hamilton gallery on-campus, and will continue until Thursday, Dec. 9. When asked what she felt the Newport community will gain from the exhibits, Shamblin said that “when the work on the walls is successful, the community will enjoy the visually communicative experience.” The impact that the Art Senior Thesis Exhibits may have on the greater community outside Salve ultimately depends on how meaningful and expressive the presented art will be. Many of the art majors in years past have gone on to very successful careers utilizing the visual language, including positions at MTV and PBS, and Satchi and Satchi in New York, and have attended renowned graduate schools. The exhibits include a diverse array of art forms such as painting, ICT work in interactive digital media and graphic design. All of these elements represent the particular passions and unique styles of the senior art majors who created them. “I wanted to come up with a way using graphic design to present a form of interior design” said Mia Staucet, senior graphic design major. When asked of what drives her interest in art, Staucet said,”I just like being able to communicate art that sends a message visually. It helps me to appreciate all aspects of art.”
