GCSU Faculty Exhibition explores:

Georgia College & State University hosted the reception for its new Faculty Exhibition Sept. 8 in the Leland Gallery of Ennis Hall.

The exhibition had multiple pieces of art from new faculty members Seth Cook, Holden Head and Megan McNaught. This exhibition will be open for public viewing through Oct. 13.

Cook is a photographer and lecturer of photography. He is an artist from the Bayou Teche region of south-central Louisiana.

He holds a B.F.A. in studio art from the University of Louisiana and an M.F.A. in photography from Indiana University. He has received several awards and his work has been displayed both nationally in Louisiana, New York, California, Colorado and Massachusetts and internationally in South Korea.

“My voice as a creator can be elevated by my process. The process I used for my exhibited pieces was in sync with the narrative it was trying to convey. It’s about trying to control something that cannot be controlled, which relates back to these environmental changes and our lack of environmental control,” said Cook. “We don’t wish to accept our lack of control and the effects of it. I only have so much control of my end result in the process I use and it's both dreadful and anxious, but it's also performative because I have to accept that same reality that humans have to accept in this cycle.”

Cook submitted a series of photos to the exhibit.

Using photography in conjunction with image transfer, he manipulates the surface area to result in a smearing of the image, distortion or complete removal of the original vision of the photo. His series in the exhibit plays into emotional aspects of identity, cultural history and grief along with focusing on environmental topics such as catastrophic events and environmental destruction. A large influence of his work was impacted by the BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast “I want students to become aware that a process can work hand in hand with the meaning or concept of a piece,” said Cook. “As an artist you should feel free to explore and expand your horizon on what could create meaningful work. You don't have to focus on one medium or one process.

Instead, I hope my students can draw a path from the route of the idea to the process and into the final work that helps them realize exploring beyond their comfort zone is what art is about.”

Holden Head is a mixed-media artist, gallery technician and lecturer. He is an artist from Nashville, Tenn. He has a B.F.A in photography from Watkins College of Art and an M.F.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Chicago. Many of his works are influenced by growing up in the South. Currently, Head is focusing on sculptures with an emphasis on the figurative and performative.

“My series Again, The Same Again is about getting caught in a loop or cycle. You repeat the same behavior, become imprisoned in repetition or choices even when you aren’t meant to be,” said Head. “SpaghettOs! are a nostalgic, comfort food for me. It was an item I would return to over and over even though it wasn’t the best for me. So that is kind of the idea.”

In addition to Again, The Same Again and a stand alone piece called Further to the exhibit.

The series of art were displayed in a cubicle room encircling viewers of the gallery so they would see the phrase “The Same Again” repeated over and over. The series was made from SpaghettOs!, resin, eucaboard and pine. The standalone piece was made using a treadmill, vinyl letters, a chair and a chain to connect the chair to the treadmill as it was running.

“For the treadmill, I looked at Craigslist Free as a sort of inspiration because people list things they may have spent so much money on but it's become such a burden, that they give it away for free. These items have meaning,” said Head.

“There were a lot of treadmills listed so I decided to pick one for my sculpture. The idea behind it is that on a treadmill, you are always moving but don’t reach a destination. I wanted to make an opposition to that, which would be sitting.

So the chair chained up to the treadmill while it's moving is about this idea of making progress at any cost even when opposing forces interact.”

McNaught is a painter, gallery director and museum studies lecturer.

She received her B.F.A. from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and an M.F.A from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Most recently, she has been the Curator of Arts at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon.

She also owns Black Cat Studios, an artist studio space in Macon.

“The pieces I submitted were collaborative works of art. When creating them, we had to keep an open mind and overcome challenges based on what was presented to us rather than sticking to our own ideals,” said McNaught.

“Collaborative work is about creative decisions and problem solving. You can’t assert yourself onto the piece but rather want to have a finished product that represents all parties involved.”

McNaught submitted a series of paintings and drawings to the exhibit. These pieces are a collaboration between McNaught and Luke Buffenmyer, her domestic partner, over the past 11 years. Each piece combines both artists’ pictorial interests and artistic practices by allowing one to start the image and the other to finish it. The three images exhibited were made for a 10-year retrospective exhibition of the collaboration at Columbus State University in January of 2021.

“For students interested in collaborating for art, I recommend starting each at a point so no one person covers the art of another. Forget your own ideals and preferences to work with what is given to you as the art is passed between you and your partner,” said McNaught.”Art, to me, is made to be an outlet for intangible ideas. It’s an entire phenomena based around visual perception and color theory. When creating, I encourage others to put their own meaning of art into their creations.”

Each of the artists are excited to be joining the faculty at GCSU and hope to expand student learning experiences as they begin their own journeys on campus.