Art exhibit features six WSC seniors and runs from March 26 through April 16.
“Finishing Touches,” featuring artwork by six Wayne State College seniors, opens Wednesday, March 26. An opening reception is set for 4:30 p.m. in the Nordstrand Visual Arts Gallery, located on the main level of Conn Library on campus. The exhibit is free and open to the public, and it runs through April 16.
Artists include studio arts majors Shayla Bennett of Palmer, Neb.; Lynx Thompson of Omaha, Neb.; and Jenna Wooldridge of Prince Frederick, Md.; art education majors Brittany Hensley of Big Springs, Neb., and Savannah Nelson of Columbus, Neb.; and graphic design major McCaslinn Brand of Grayson, Ky.
“Finishing Touches” celebrates the human experience with a focus on life and death, nature, culture, escapism through fantasy, and emotional connections with music and the environment. Artwork employs the techniques of printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, drawing, and painting.
Bennett’s art focuses on the relationship between the living and the deceased and how we cope with death. She creates tributes using horses and the human form. Works by Thompson challenge social norms and cultivate an understanding of identity and mental health. Wooldridge examines life through the sensitive topics of age, growth, personal identity, politics, and death.
Mythology and speculative biology influence Hensley’s creations of fantastical characters and worlds, using distortion and layering of natural elements into those environments. Nelson explores the relationships of family, mental, and physical altercations, while capturing the chaotic energy of party culture. Inspired by her family’s shared love of music, Brand focuses on harmonizing emotions and brush strokes creating a symphony on canvas and paper.
The gallery is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 3 to 7 p.m. It is closed Saturday. Shows end at noon on closing day. For more information on this exhibit or upcoming shows, visit www.wsc.edu/nordstrand-art-gallery or contact Dr. Andy Haslit, professor of art history and director of the Nordstrand Visual Arts Gallery, at [email protected].