GCSU holds Senior Capstone Exhibit

The air was warm, and spirits were high April 18 as crowds of onlookers flocked into the Georgia College & State University (GCSU) Art Department’s capstone exhibit, Presence, hoping to catch a glimpse of the unique and diverse set of pieces created by seven senior art majors at GCSU.

The capstone exhibit was held in Leland Gallery inside of GCSU’s Ennis Hall. This special event is hosted by the department of art at the end of each semester to present graduating seniors’ final projects.

Among this group of seniors was Anna Matthews, who proudly boasted her installation consisting of a desk, chair, trash can, and stretch of wallpaper completely covered in black and white, hand-drawn doodles.

“My piece is about claiming space. It’s sort of a representation of me, all the doodles are depictions of myself, and symbolic to who I am,” said Matthews. “When I cover the walls and furniture in these doodles, it is a representation of me claiming a space and making it my own.”

Affectionately named “Identity Ink-orperated” by Matthews, the piece certainly lived up to its title; the installation was filled from head to toe with depictions of personal memories and jokes, with Matthews’ desk from her childhood bedroom even being the centerpiece of the display.

Student Hayden Bryant created a series of nine oil paintings as his capstone project.

“Through my work, I strive to capture the poetry of a scene, focusing on the light, color, and texture within the composition,” stated the installation’s title card. “Through my paintings, I express my own emotions and experiences and also my appreciation for the beauty and wonder that surrounds us.”

Bryant’s paintings mainly consisted of still-life depictions of things like flowers, bodies of water, and his own pair of boots, along with one self-portrait. According to Bryant, these portraits represent physical places that have been important to him throughout his life, as well as aspects of who he is.

The process of creating the art displayed in this spring’s exhibit began all the way back in August, taking around seven months for students to fully plan and create their installations, and, depending on the artist, roughly 50 to 100 total hours to complete.

“[These students] ideas, their research, their commitment to developing themselves as an artist, as an entrepreneur, as a researcher, all began almost a year ago,” said Matthew Forrest, interim chair and associate professor of art at GCSU. “The work [displayed here] has changed and morphed over that time into the professional work that you see [now].”

This bi-annual event not only gives art students a platform to share their work, but also aims to give them a boost of confidence in terms of their art.

“I think, as artists, we are nervous to put our artwork out there, because some of it’s vulnerable and shows some sides of ourselves that we don’t know how [people are going to receive,]” said Matthews. “But being able to put my artwork out there and have people that actually look at it and connect with it … that’s something I didn’t expect to happen.”

Other seniors with installations in the exhibit were Ansley Browne, James Carter, Emma Kate Leach, Elaina Perez and Genesis Williams.

For more photos of  about the exhibit scan the QR code below or visit the online version of this article on The Baldwin Bulletin website.