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Southern Virginia’s Largest Senior Show Will Open in Main Hall
On Thursday, April 15, 4:30 p.m. the annual Senior Art Show will open at Southern Virginia University’s Main Hall ballroom. Fourteen senior art students — the largest group yet to mount such a capstone exhibit — will kick off the show with presentations about their artwork. At 5:30 p.m. artists and audience will move to Main Hall’s third floor for a reception and the exhibition of the artwork. The art will be on display for the following two weeks.
Professor Barbara Crawford, who exhibits her own work in the Nelson Gallery in Lexington, has advised seniors Megan Bauer, Gentry DeSpain, Ben Carlsen, Tabitha Dodge, Alanna Holland, Arianne Morgan Johnson, Mariel Porter Kunz, Nancy Lemmon, Paul Moore, Tesha Nelson, Bryce Pendleton, Nina Santos, Georgi Ana Smith and Antonia Wolfe as they have worked together to develop a focus for the show and encourage each other in their individual efforts.
Their work, encompassing such varied media as oil paint, house paint, acrylics, printmaking, installations, mixed-media and ceramics had to be conceived, begun and completed within the current semester.
Student artist Bryce Pendleton says the group spent months reading, discussing and collaborating to choose the works they would create. The process of creating the artwork required for the show has challenged and stretched the students, but it appears to be worth the effort.
Bryce Pendleton’s paintings developed in a way he had not expected. He started out highlighting an athletic shoe image. At some point, however, the shoe became an inspiration for other ideas; it’s no longer central to the paintings.
The amount of work involved in his very large pieces was almost overwhelming. “It’s something I’ve never done before, and it’s very time consuming, but it’s exciting to know that I can do things I didn’t know were possible.”
The public is invited to join the students on Thursday afternoon and to enjoy their artwork for the next two weeks.