FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 20, 2009 LIGHT IN THE
ATTIC: 2009 SENIOR THESIS EXHIBITION OPENS AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND MUSEUMS AND ARTSPACE GALLERY Light in the Attic: 2009
Senior Thesis Exhibition is on view concurrently in two locations, from April 17 to May 8,
2009, at the Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond Museums, and April
24 to May 17, 2009, at Artspace Gallery @ Plant Zero,
Richmond. The senior thesis exhibition is the capstone experience for
graduating studio art majors in the Department of Art and Art History at the
University of Richmond. This year’s exhibition includes art works by Ashley
Davis, Sara Perkins, Dan Shoemaker, and Emily Viviani.
Artists’ Statements: Ashley Davis: This body of work highlights the communication issues present in
my life and within our society; we are constantly inundated with information,
receiving ideas from the media, from our family and friends, our communities,
etc. What I find interesting is the way
in which this information is filtered. Much
of what I believe and value is a direct result of my family and my social
environment. To an extent, they
determine what I see, learn, and experience. Sara Perkins: In my work, earthly realities refer to larger
realities of the supernatural world. I employ the visual language of art to
highlight the dialogue between these realities; using natural symbols to
represent that which transcends absolute cognitive understanding. By allowing
the seen to point to that which is unseen, I hope to re-imbue a sense of awe
and wonder into the lives of
my fellow post-moderns. Dan Shoemaker: My works strive to cohere my fascination
with modern media culture, classical cinema, peculiar pop music, Eastern and
existential philosophy, and the elastic definition of the word “reality.”
Pitting montage against meditation, experience is presented, not as a logical
series of events or a sequential narrative, but as a chronology of moments
that, neither minute nor landmark, forge on, loop, slow, and skew, before
fading in an oft perused, rarely focused cinema memory. Emily Viviani: When I create art, I am not
trying to relay an image or even a message. Instead, I am trying to insinuate a
sentiment, induce déjà vu, or spark a narrative. People are constantly and
unknowingly manipulated by the images and text they ingest and their adopted
identities are partially a response to circumstance and experience. In this
work I wanted to explore the ambiguous space between author and reader as it
relates to the relationship between protagonist and spectator. The studio art majors work
throughout their senior year to prepare for this exhibition. In the fall, the
students focus on creating a cohesive body of work that supports a developed
thesis. The spring semester is spent organizing the exhibition by completing
their artwork, refining artist and thesis statements, documenting their
artwork, applying for fellowships, and engaging in critiques. The yearlong
course was taught by Tanja Softic'
and Mark Rhodes, Associate Professors of Art, Department of Art and Art History,
University of Richmond. Throughout the undergraduate
studio art program, students are required to take classes in a variety of
media. By their senior year, each student has a diverse portfolio of work and
has begun to develop a personal style. The senior thesis class provides an
opportunity for the students to use what they have learned to create their own
work and present it in a professional manner. The art produced for the senior
thesis class is created specifically for the final exhibition. Light in the Attic was organized by the
University of Richmond Museums and the Department of Art and Art History in
collaboration with Artspace Gallery, and is sponsored
in part by 12 12 Gallery, Richmond. PROGRAMMING University of Richmond, School of Arts and Sciences Symposium The
School of Arts and Sciences hosts the Student Symposium every spring, which
showcases hundreds of student research projects from across the disciplines. Artist Talks Friday, April 17, 1:30 to
2:45p.m. Harnett
Museum of Art, Modlin Center for the Arts 1:30 p.m., Art, presented by Ashley Davis 1:45 p.m., Art and Faith: Seen and Unseen, presented by Sara Perkins 2:00 p.m., Video Works, presented by Daniel Shoemaker 2:15 p.m., Explorations in Narrative, presented by Emily Viviani Friday, April 24, 7 to 10 p.m.
Opening reception and preview of the exhibition
Light in the
Attic: 2009 Senior Thesis Exhibition Artspace Gallery @ Plant Zero, Zero East
4th Street, Richmond All
exhibitions and programs are open to the public and free of charge. Note:
Images for press are available by contacting Heather Campbell, 804-287-6324 or [email protected] University of Richmond Museums comprises the
Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, the Joel and Lila Harnett Print Study
Center, and the Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature. Admission to all
museums is free and open to the public. For group visits and tours, please call
804-287-6424 at least two weeks prior to your visit for reservations. Call
804-289-8276 for information and directions or visit our website at museums.richmond.edu
The Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art is
located in the George M. Modlin Center for the Arts.
Museum hours: (1/13/09 through 4/26/09):
Tuesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 pm. Summer hours
(4/29–5/15/09): Wednesday through Friday, 1 to 4 p.m. Closed Easter Weekend
(4/11-13/09), and Summer Break (5/16-8/19/09). The Joel and Lila Harnett Print Study Center is also located in
the George M. Modlin Center for the Arts. Museum
hours: (1/13/09 through 4/4/09): Wednesday through Saturday, 1 to 3 pm., and by
appointment (804-287-6424). Closed same schedule as above. The Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature is
located in a separate wing of the Boatwright Memorial Library with its entrance
on Richmond Way. Museum hours: Tuesday through Friday, 11am to 5pm; Saturday
and Sunday, 1 to 5 pm. Closed
Easter Weekend (4/11-13/09) and Independence Day weekend (7/3-6/09). Artspace is located
in the Plant Zero Art Center, 3 blocks south of the James River at the 14th
Street Bridge, and is bounded by East 3rd St, Hull St., and Decatur St. A
fenced and lighted parking lot faces the E. 4th St. entrance and can be
accessed from Hull St. or Decatur. Artspace has access from within Plant Zero as well as a
separate entrance physically located at 31 East 3rd Street. Artspace is open to the
public daily from 12-4 p.m. Artspace is funded in part by the Virginia Commission for
the Arts. |
