Exhibition of Senior Projects and Advanced Studio Projects Opens at Allegheny College

Dec. 1, 2014 – The Department of Art at Allegheny College will open the annual Senior Projects and Advanced Studio Projects Exhibition with a public reception in the galleries on Tuesday, Dec. 9 from 7 to 8 p.m. The show is an opportunity to showcase the work of graduating art majors and minors.

Some common themes in this year’s exhibition are recontextualization, the expression of human experience, questioning expectations, examination of systems of knowledge, and exploration of cultural contexts.

Graduating studio art major Elisabeth McDonald utilizes shape, material, color and texture to create a collection of sculptural garments that act as memoirs of five emerging British artists she met during her semester abroad.

Janos Cseh is a studio art and economics double-major whose experiential installation fosters a heightened experience of place and presence, encouraging us to reflect on how we perceive our environments.

Studio art major Jaysa Alvarez worked with art and technology major Sachika Yamaguchi to transform commonplace materials into sensuous anthropomorphic sculptures that engage the sentimental weight of objects. Studio art major Greg Singer examines internal and external stressors for anxiety and trauma to show how they manifest within personal relationships.

Aviv Lang, who self-designed a major in behavioral economics, explores the obsolescence of technology by treating pieces of hardware like biological specimens. Phoenix Cooke is an economics major who uses casts of the human body to speak to cultural constructions of body image.

Environmental science major Kristy Garcia bridges the worlds of comic books and science to help young people explore, connect with and preserve natural environments. The hybrid illustrations of Heather Fish, an environmental studies major, create visual representations of the humorous and difficult conversations she has had with survivors of domestic violence.

History major Mary Grace Warren uses clear polyester resin and found objects to represent the effects of inaccessibility of education on women’s self-advocacy and self-efficacy.

Six psychology majors will be exhibiting. Christopher Muise shows movement with layers of spontaneously applied paint on board, Marisol Moreno merges the dark and brutal worlds seen in DC comics with the whimsy of “The Wizard of Oz” to redefine how we think of villains, and Nicole Coogan translates music into paintings. Becca Gallup depicts her struggle with depression in a series of charcoal drawings, Lakiea Simmons uses bold imagery to confront cultural expectations about women’s bodies, and Chloé Donohue creates surreal images of her nightmares to evoke an emotional response from viewers.

In addition to the public reception, the exhibit can be viewed through Sunday, Dec. 14. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 12:30-5 p.m.; Saturday, 1:30-5 p.m.; and Sunday, 2-4 p.m. Visitors are asked to call ahead to verify hours, since programs are subject to change.

The Art Galleries, which are wheelchair accessible, are located in Doane Hall of Art, east of North Main Street between College and John Streets in Meadville. For more information, phone 814-332-4365 or visit https://sites.allegheny.edu/art/the-art-department/galleryexhibitions/.