Looking Glass Gallery

I Wanna Be A Cowboy Baby

Aiden Loorham

May 7 - August 28, 2024 

Exhibit statement: I Wanna Be A Cowboy Baby explores the concept of the Wild West which idealizes core American values including individualism, freedom, and ruggedness, and glorifies America as the land of opportunity. Through a lens inspired by the iconic Marlboro brand, this exhibition delves into America’s consumerist culture and captures the allure of the brand’s graphic identity. Marlboro’s imagery is as seductive and addictive as the cigarettes themselves. The infusion of Marlboro motifs and minimalist design channels the brand’s internationally spread Americana essence. Marlboro conjures imagery of cowboys which, by exuding a sense of Americana and individuality, strengthens and justifies America’s capitalistic culture. The image of the cowboy reminds me of my upbringing. I was raised on a horse farm by my parents–my dad cut and broke horses and my mom was a horse trainer–where strength, individuality, and hard work were highly valued. Surrounded by rodeo culture, I encountered people who looked like the Marlboro man–the rugged, tough, and hardworking “Ideal American man.” I Wanna Be A Cowboy Baby invites viewers to ponder the depths of consumerism’s influence and face the complexities of the allure of the American cowboy.

Artist biography: I am a multidisciplinary artist working in both two and three dimensions. I use humor and irony to create satirical commentary on America’s consumer culture. My experimental practice blends stylistic qualities of street art and fine art to create an approachable entry point for the viewer to develop deeper thoughts on the pervasive nature of consumer culture and advertisement. I sample and remix recognizable brand identities while incorporating my own stylistic language to ensure constant conversation throughout my work across all mediums. In centering contemporary human associations with digital media and consumerism, I explore how the screen has become a part of our everyday lives. My multifaceted artistic process including digital and tactile elements with classical and contemporary mediums and techniques grapples with the reality of our capitalistic consumer driven society.

English graduate students Rebecah Williams, Aaren Grant, Lizzie Bingham, and Victoria Sykes

April 10 - May 2, 2024 

Exhibition statement:  Ekphrasis is the verbal representation of a visual representation: text describing a painting, sculpture, jewelry, or other art object, real or imagined. From the Greek κ ek (out) and φρσις phrásis (speak); in its earliest rhetorical usages it merely meant to provide a vivid description, such as the lively descriptions of Achilles’s shield in Homer’s The Iliad (750 BCE). Though ekphrasis has been around for some time, it is uniquely notable during Great Britain’s Victorian Era (1837-1901), a Golden Age of illustration that also saw the rise of advertisements, new optical technologies, photography, realism in art and literature, and public galleries and exhibitions. As visual culture changed, its impact upon power and knowledge rose dramatically. Meanwhile, the Victorians filled their public spaces and homes with art objects and other decorative possessions from both England and abroad; and these were often described in ekphrastic poetry or prose. The twelve ekphrastic encounters in this exhibit reveal the multiple perspectives from which the Victorians attempted to represent and understand their increasingly complex world. We also invite reflection on how ekphrasis can be applied in the present day. This project was co-created by English graduate students Lizzie Bingham, Aaren Grant, Victoria Sykes, and Rebecah Williams under the direction of Dr. Jill Ehnenn in English 5880: Art Objects and English Words: Ekphrasis and the Making of the Nineteenth Century “World” during the Fall 2023 semester.

Hailey Jordan

March 6 - April 4, 2024

Exhibition statement: The Jordans is a testament to the bond that can emerge from the most challenging circumstances through the lens of a single father and only daughter. My father and I are the only Jordans in our family, and this collection of fibers and painted works is a visual diary of our relationship, depicting various stages of my life and how they were impacted by his unconditional and unwavering support, strength, resilience, and love. Traumatic events surrounding addiction and death occurred when I was young, and what came out of it was a strong and loving relationship between my father and I. Navigating life came with its challenges, forcing my dad to take on non-traditional roles and dedicate his life to raising me. This made him extraordinary, showing me tenderness while also being my rock. I hope that the themes of love, strength, and resilience bring comfort to the viewer and foster conversations about the complexities of non-traditional family dynamics brought together by outside forces and the bond that can arise from shared struggles.

Artist biography: Hailey Jordan is a senior studio art major currently studying at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC with a passionate love for fibers and painting. She has powerful ties to her family, frequenting her hometown of Denver, NC often to cherish the time she has with them. Her strong relationship with her father has been a major influence in her work, providing courage and support to chase her passions. She is also driven by her matriarchal influences and the grief felt every day through their absences, and expresses this through her work. While grief can be interpreted as a “bad word,” she believes it is an inevitable aspect of life if you are truly living, and honoring those lost keeps them alive. Jordan’s work has been displayed in numerous local venues of Boone, such as the Nth, Smith Gallery, Florence School of the Arts, and 3rd Place. She strives to see how people of various cultural backgrounds can connect through universal human experiences, such as grief, expressed in her work. Her hope is to rework the meaning of grief into something beautiful and make everyone who experiences it feel a little less alone.

William Schumann

February 7 - February 29, 2024

Exhibition Statement: Drawing direct inspiration from the Appalachian environment, William Schumann employs dark line techniques to connect, encompass, accent, and abstract color patterns in his paintings. Reminiscent of stained glass but indicative of the movement inherent in his painting process, Schumann’s abstract and figurative forms presented in Outlined explore reverence. Experimenting with the formula for Archimedes’ spiral (r = aθ) to distribute unexpected color palettes on canvas and masonite, the artist reinterprets mountain landscapes. He contemplates the Appalachia’s contoured terrain as a source of renewable energy and, notably, Strained Glass (2023) juxtaposes the implied reverence of stained glass against an ironic exaltation of interlinked global crises: air and water pollution, militarism, fossil fuel capitalism, and human injustice. Whether approached as a means of aesthetic escape or deeper contemplation, Outlined invites reflection on how you see the complex layered world around you.

Artist biography: I was born and have lived in North Carolina for most of my life, and am also shaped by experiences living in the American Southeast and Northeast, as well as Belgium, Thailand, and Wales. I started painting in the late 1990s; today, I work primarily in acrylic paint. A lot of my work finds inspiration from the continuous, unwieldy growth and renewal of nature. Appalachia provides me with a daily lesson in beauty and resilience. My goal is to express the joyous vitality I see in the natural world, which is also to recognize its frailty. Art is an emotional expression of my hope and concern for our future. Whether figurative or abstract, my paintings typically saturate the canvas in layers of color distributed through hundreds or thousands of brushstrokes. The fast-drying acrylic medium offers me a near-continuous painting process for applying layers of color. I enjoy developing this process on larger scales, which allows me to express complex relationships between color, pattern, and movement. I hope that the energy in my paintings invites viewers to pause for aesthetic contemplation, or to reflect on the positive inspirations in their own lives.

Jenna Everhart, Sofia Salcedo, Caroline Stageman

December 5 - December 14, 2023

Exhibition statement: As women, we are sentimental by nature. Ever collecting and cataloging both physical and intangible reminders of the girls we once were, we accumulate hoards that require a keen eye to see the magic within the “junk.” It can be easy to overlook a scrap of what once comprised a favorite pair of jeans or a stuffed animal we continue to anthropomorphize (despite the fact that we are “grown up”), yet we never do. With this exhibition, we hope to evoke feelings of affection, nostalgia, and recognition as we extend an invitation to celebrate sentimentality.

Jenna Everhart

“Ode to Junk”
Artist statement: My work explores sentimentality, memory, family, girlhood, and magic through collage. It is a celebration of maximalism and excess, inspired by my lifelong love of collecting. Each image in the collages and item on the shelves holds personal significance or is evocative of a specific time, place, or memory. Through this installation, I hope to share a little of myself with the viewer.

 

Artist biography: Jenna Everhart is a visual artist based in North Carolina. She is currently pursuing a Studio Art BFA at Appalachian State University. Everhart works in paint, mixed media, and installation to create works with a sense of childlike imagination and whimsy, as well as mystery and intrigue. She embraces an intentionally kitschy aesthetic, taking inspiration from lowbrow and pop surrealist artists. Her work often contains themes of memory, sentimentality, and girlhood. Everhart currently resides in Boone, NC, and works part time in a restaurant while pursuing her artistic career and selling her work locally.

 

Sofia Salcedo

 

“God’s Presents”
Artist statement: I am obsessed with the feminine, the grotesque, and the otherworldly. My enduring empathy for animals and attraction to all things strange inform my work, as I aim to celebrate the wonder and sweetness I see as inherent to all creatures. My work focuses on animals that inhabit the intersection between wonderful and grotesque through no choice of their own. I aim to honor these creatures by crafting miniatures in their likeness that capture the preciousness and sorrow I see as intrinsic to their being, while allowing me to care for them in my own way. My work is fueled by drama and aims to subvert traditional expectations of feminine craft through material, process, and content. I work primarily in fibers to construct absurd worlds that emphasize my interests in dolls, narrative, and autistic girlhood.

 

Artist biography: Sofia Salcedo is a multimedia artist and funny girl in the Studio Art program at Appalachian State University. She works primarily in fibers and miniatures and aims to subvert traditional expectations about such processes. In her work, Sofia explores girlhood, and the intersection of the wonderful and the grotesque. She has sold her art locally in Boone, North Carolina, where she resides with her cats.

 

Caroline Stageman

“Textile Memories”
Artist statement: My name is Caroline Stageman and I am a painter studying Studio Art at Appalachian State University. I primarily work with acrylic paint, exploring the intricacies of the human form and all that it can convey. My series of paintings combines the folds and lines of the body with physical fabric textiles. Through the combination of fabric materials and paintwork, I want to facilitate a discussion about the tangibility of memory and sentimentality. Included are my personal textiles, ranging in age group, which juxtaposes the disembodiment of recollection. This series is an ode to growing pains as well as the joys of growing up and learning independence.

 

Artist biography: Currently residing in Boone, NC, Caroline Stageman attends Appalachian State University. She is working toward her BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting and Drawing. Her primary medium is acrylic paint, but she also loves exploring other mediums. Significant themes Caroline explores are gender, femininity, and memory. She portrays these ideas through her figure paintings. She hopes to confront society’s views of gender while confronting her own at the same time. As she is graduating and closing out this chapter of her life, Caroline hopes to honor all the people who got her to the place she is now. As well as working on her own practice, she also teaches painting classes and enjoys spending time with friends and nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Toxic Land/Lifescapes

Ben Pluska

November 4 - November 30, 2023

Exhibition statement: This multimodal ethnographic exhibition depicts the state of environmental (in)justice in the small, predominantly Black community of Snow Hill located in Sampson County, North Carolina. Toxic Land/Lifescapes is an assemblage of images and text that contextualizes environmental, social, and economic harms that the Green for Life Environmental Holdings Facility, more frequently referred to as the GFL Landfill, inflicts upon the Snow Hill community. In illuminating these injustices through image and narrative, this project emphasizes how the lives of those living with and against the GFL Landfill are linked to the degrading landscape. The objective of this work is to instigate empathetic reflection upon, conversation around, and action toward a future of collaborative environmental justice.

Artist biography: Ben Pluska is a Senior in the Honors College at Appalachian State University majoring in Sustainable Development with a concentration in Community, Regional and Global Development and a minor in Film Studies. Ben has developed a passion for community-engaged research and activism throughout their undergraduate career and their work as a research assistant with the Environmental Justice Co-Lab, the transdisciplinary university-community partnership that conducts research on how people experience and respond to harmful outcomes and processes of industrialization in eastern North Carolina. Working with local environmental justice organizations, Ben has assessed impacts to water quality; community involvement in state decision making; and community-based storytelling, advocacy, and activism. In conjunction with their training in ethnographic methods and community-engaged research, Ben is a photographer and visual storyteller. They are interested in using photography and videography as a tool for social and political change. They combine art, theory, and activism to incite political and social action and develop empathy for the injustices that exist both within and outside of our own communities. Further, Ben is interested in understanding how ethnographic research can inform empathetic policy that is closely tied to communities. To that end, Ben has directed and produced a documentary film related to rural queer placemaking entitled Between The Lines (2023) and a photo essay on a rural Appalachian drag king performer, Justin Thyme. They also have created a photo essay on the Lumbee River in eastern North Carolina that features the environmental degradation it faces due to industrialized energy as well as its cultural significance to the Lumbee Peoples.

Extended context: This is a multimodal exhibition that seeks to integrate visual and textual contextualizations of environmental justice. To that end, the artist has written brief vignettes for each image in the exhibition. However, to divulge more of the meaning and intention of Toxic Land/Lifescapes, the artist has created an online "extended context" website for the project that includes expanded vignettes for each photograph. These vignettes elaborate on those provided alongside each image in the gallery to give further insight into the GFL landfill and the environmental injustice it perpetuates.The artist encourages you to read along as you walk through the gallery or after you leave by visiting the project website linked here.

Acknowledgements: Toxic Land/Lifescapes is supported by the Environmental Justice Co-Lab, the Rachel Carson Council, the Environmental Justice Community Action Network, the Department of Sustainable Development, the Honors College, the Dane Ward Scholarship for Undergraduate Research, and the App State Ethnography Lab. This project was created under the mentorship of Dr. Rebecca Witter, Dr. Dana Powell, and Sherri White-Williamson. Additional thanks is extended to the Snow Hill Community, specifically Ms. Cooper, Mr. Fisher, and Mr. Parker; Danielle Melvine Koonce; Jeff Currie III; Dr. Christina Sornito; Dr. Anatoli Ignatov; Dr. Richard Rheingans; Dr. Belinda Walzer; Professor Tom Hansel; and Professor Joshua White.

 

 

 

 

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River of Earth

Evan Bates

October 9 - November 1, 2023

Exhibition statement: This series of photographs explores humanity's deep connection to rivers – the original source of life for most human civilizations. They provided water, shelter, fertile ground, game, and more until humans left the natural cycle. However, the rivers still flow, always
the same. I frame modern, breathing humans in their ancient setting as part of the constant natural cycle. The subjects are as important to the environment as the trees next to them. Not more, not less. At one point, the world was bigger than anyone could imagine; but, we gradually
left this perspective behind to grow and evolve, forgetting our place in the natural world. The main inspiration for this series is the New River, one of the most ancient and unique rivers in the world. Just 15 minutes from my door, it flows slow and steady, just like it has for millions of
years. While the New River is pictured in many of these images, several other rivers within the Appalachian Range are included in this project.

Artist biography: As an artist, my work focuses primarily on the process of thought and how we move through ideas to achieve discovery, and the importance of play in our self-important lives. There are no existential questions for my work to answer, but instead to ask, and I consider my work successful when it is indescribable by words alone. When images feel like they were caught in mid air, or like words are being read from a novel, a story unraveling as eyes whip across the page, learning as you go, capturing the intrinsic magic of life’s chance encounters.

 

 

 

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Coming Home

Gayatri Titus, PhD

May 18 - August 25, 2023

Exhibition Statement: This exhibition is about my journey of coming home. Home refers to a place that is not so much a destination outside but within. During the pandemic, everything changed. Technology provided ways for people to connect, but human presence was missing. This led to feeling disconnected from others and ourselves: we were frozen in time. As a mental health professional, I held space for the numerous narratives of pain, loss, grief, anger, fear, sadness, confusion, uncertainty, nostalgia, isolation, desire for connection, and hope. I tried to find balance, often feeling overwhelmed by the suffering around me and the continued realization that inequities exist in systems that we are embedded in. The canvas became a way for me to come back home to myself after a long day of holding space, kindness, and compassion. A narrative was born from the heartfelt stories told to me and my own story of navigating life. I had nostalgic thoughts of the life I lived before. I connected with my friends and family around the world. I developed a greater appreciation for life, time, and connections with others. The beauty of Boone helped center me. I practiced meditation and learned what rest can do for us and our planet. I learned to understand different perspectives. Here lies a small testimony to honor these narratives. As a mom, I also tried to bring some joy into the lives of my children. Coming Home is a story of my survival and deep gratitude for all forms of life, my family and friends, and all those who support me, including my colleagues. We are all interconnected.

Artist biography: I would describe myself as a self taught artist who works from her heart. I have never had the opportunity to receive any formal training in art and I stumbled on dabbling in artmaking during the pandemic as a way to restore and rejuvenate my soul. I have always been drawn to non-objective/abstract art and spent some time exploring and studying some techniques, specifically abstract expressionism, that I found to resonate with my style and expression of emotion. Primarily, I experimented with methods called paint and pour and the Dutch pour method, a method that uses air and swipe techniques to create art. I taught myself the understandings of color theory, hue, saturation, luminance, color combinations, viscosity, movement, composition, texture, surface, and use of space. These art pieces were painted with the help of things other than paint brushes, namely scraps of cardboard, paper, scrapers, straws, cling wrap, and other tools. The medium used were acrylic paints and the paintings are all on mounted canvases. It would be remiss to exclude sharing that I am also a mental health professional and a lot of my artwork is created to depict my emotions, thoughts, reflections, narratives, and experiences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Torn and Folded

Lela Arruza

April 11 - May 9, 2023

Exhibition Statement: My identity as an adopted Asian American artist has greatly impacted my artistic inspirations and worldview when creating. Existing in a culture full of stereotypes and prejudice challenged me to ignore preconceptions of what it looks like to be an Asian American and encouraged me to shape my own identity. My current body of work, Torn & Folded, contrasts the longevity of ceramics and the ephemerality of paper as a medium. While the history of ceramic vessels can be traced back as early as 28,000 BCE, paper artifacts were not preserved as well and, therefore, few notable paper works exist today. Each of the vessel forms are made from modular origami pieces created through a technique called Golden Venture folding. I find myself drawn to repetition and utilize this art form to discuss concepts of comfort and community. The method of folding was popularized in 1993 when a ship called the Golden Venture ran aground in New York. Many of the migrants onboard were from China's Fujian Province, and due to strict immigration policies, they were imprisoned. During imprisonment, many folded and assembled various paper sculptures which were sold or donated to the community. The rich history behind Golden Venture folding contains aspects of craft and community evident in my own work. Each piece I make displays my interest in intricate and clean design, but also focuses on exploring my own identity and place within my community.

Artist biography: Lela Arruza is an Asian American artist born in Jiangxi, China. She was adopted and raised in Apex, North Carolina, until attending Appalachian State University for undergraduate studies. Currently she is pursuing a B.F.A. in studio art with a concentration in ceramics as well as a minor in general business. Her background as an adopted Asian American artist encouraged her to explore identity and culture through art and craft. This focus on craft is expressed through a variety of mediums including clay, paper, and metal. Arruza has been awarded numerous prestigious scholarships and awards, and their work has been widely exhibited on a regional level. She has presented workshops to various groups and has a passion for volunteering within the community.

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Where Our Roots Lie/Donde de Sostienen Nuestras Raíces

Caleb Brown

March 7 - April 6, 2023

Exhibition Statement: This portrait photography exhibition focuses on Latinos currently residing in Boone, North Carolina. Each subject is dressed in either their respective culture's traditional dress or culturally-inspired clothing. The subjects chose the location of their portraits based on where they feel the most at-home and/or culturally connected within the High Country. Considering that Watauga County's population is roughly 4% Latino, many turn to unorthodox locations to find their community and cultural ties. Even with these demographics, Boone is rich in cultural diversity amongst its Latino population, as seen by the myriad of clothing worn by the exhibition's subjects. There are 10 center portraits of 6 different subjects, each with different heritages. Each portrait was taken using a Sony A7III mirrorless DSLR camera, a Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS, a Godox AD600 Pro with an Aperture Light Dome, and a Godox V1 Flash. 

Artist biography: Caleb Brown is a photographer hailing from Guatemala City, Guatemala and Asheville, NC. He is a senior double major in Commercial Photography and Sustainable Development and is one of Appalachian State University's Chancellor's Scholars for the Class of 2024. As a Latino creative, he strives to positively represent his and other minority cultures within his work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Body and Soul

Michele Viola

February 7 - March 3, 2023

Exhibition Statement: The crossroads between humanity and the imagination is what I create on my surfaces. My work takes place on the traditional canvas and expands out onto untraditional canvas shapes as well. Doing so allows me to further elaborate the surreal landscapes that I paint, and bring them into the world that the viewer exists in as well. In my work, you will find subjects of humans in fantastical scenes that combine elements of the spirit, dreams, and wonder. All inspired by nature and the human experience. A blend of imagery, surrealism, and realism aids in my ability to convey the familiar and the unfamiliar in one setting. These paintings invite the viewer to stay and immerse themselves into the whimsical world of my canvases. In doing so, the viewer has the opportunity to daydream themselves and participate in the escapism of the rational, logic, and the burdens of our realities, something I want to invite the viewer to indulge in for as long as needed.

Artist biography: Inspired by elements of the natural world and its relationship to the human experience, my art tends to balance imaginative, whimsical scenes, with more familiar environmental elements that yield symbolic intention and reflection of human qualities. I am currently a senior BFA Studio Art student with a concentration in Painting and Drawing. My works have been published in The Peel Literature and Arts Review Spring 2020 and Fall 2022. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Creatures: creating living objects through clay

Fiona Hill and Rae Feutz

November 17 - December 9, 2022

Exhibition Statement: The nature of clay is sensitive, sensual, and intimate. The material embodies the energy of the maker, and the physical process conceives objects that take on a life of their own. Our creations become alive through their dynamic organic forms, textural surfaces, and diverse colors. Clay invites us to work intuitively, working as a guide into the unknown of our subconscious. In this creative space, our thoughts and feelings toward our daily experiences are revealed to us. This body of work reflects our experiences of loneliness and isolation, of feeling alienated and “othered,” and the changing relationships we have with our bodies.

Artist Biographies:

Rae Feutz (she/her/hers) is a senior BFA student with a concentration in ceramics at Appalachian State University. Growing up in a strange place known as suburban Raleigh, she was disconnected from nature and the diverse world we live in. When there was nowhere to go around her, she retreated inward to the world of emotion and imagination that she expressed through artmaking. After taking her first ceramic course in the fall of 2022, she instantly felt connected to the medium. In contrast to her isolated upbringing, Rae finds working with clay to be not only personally therapeutic, but collectively healing as the medium offers a supportive community of care and connectivity. In 2022, Rae was awarded “Best in Show” at Appalachian State’s juried Student Art and Design exhibition for her ceramic piece entitled Squish Baby. She is currently deepening her knowledge and skill set of the ceramic medium, as well as other interdisciplinary artistic processes, toward her goal of becoming a professional studio artist.

Born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, Fiona Hill (they/them/theirs, she/her/hers) began their exploration of ceramic and mixed sculptural media in the ninth grade at Durham School of the arts. Through the use of clay, the artist has found a love of storytelling through the three-dimensional form that has translated to her further interest in other mediums such as wood, metal, and found object work. Fiona’s work has largely centered on the material process of creating objects that marry the feeling of narrative introspection to a fascination with earthly forms, ecological processes, and the natural world. Growing up queer in a politically active family in the South, they often felt torn between a growing sense of community and political responsibility, as well as a growing feeling of isolation that they could only
express or find relief from in their sculptural work. In 2018, they were accepted into the North Carolina Governor’s School in the area of Visual Art where they studied experimental and performative art strategies, culminating in a final show of work in the Fine Arts Center at Salem College. Inspired by this experience, Fiona continues to pursue studio art at Appalachian State University, along with expanding her studies in socio-political and environmental issues. Fiona is currently a Senior at ASU majoring in Art and Visual Culture with a concentration in Studio Art and a minor in Sustainable Development.

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VOTE!

A Juried Pro-Voter Competition hosted by the Department of Art at Appalachian State University

October 21 - November 11, 2022

Thank you to the Judges:
Brooke Hofsess, Interim Chair, Department of Art
Ann Kaplan, Associate Professor, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies
Shannon Campbell, Dean College of Fine and Applied Arts

 

 

 

 

 

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Christopher Metz

September 20 - October 11, 2022

Exhibition Statement: Christopher Metz photographed this collection on a Minolta SRT MC2 with a 28mm lens using only Ilford HP5 400 black and white 35mm film during the summer of 2022. Metz chose to only shoot this film stock as a way to get back to the root of photography, focusing on composition and subject matter rather than color. There are a few exceptions to this outline, one of which is through the use of trichrome photography. Trichrome is an old technique used to create color images by combining three black and white photos into one with each of them being turned into one of the three colors of the RGB color-way and then combining them to create a color image. The other exception is the use of another camera, a Spartus 120mm box camera that belonged to his great-grandmother. 

Artist Bio: Christopher Metz is an artist born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. Metz is a multimedia artist who has delved into many visual mediums including illustration, animation, graphic design, woodworking, jewelry design, fashion & apparel design, and most recently photography. Over the 2021-2022 school year, Metz started by photographing local musicians and gradually evolving to more experimental film photography. Metz is currently a Junior at App State majoring in Graphic Communications Management with a minor in General Business. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Meeting Place

Kara Haselton

April 14 - May 6, 2022

Exhibition Statement: The body is a vessel that ingrains certain experiences into its everyday functioning. The body not only withstands physical trauma, but can also project emotional trauma onto its wearers. Our work expands on these experiences with the body and the unpredictability that can occur in response. Our work explores the intimate relationships that we often have with our bodies, and the problems that may occur due to its dysfunction. Although each artist focuses on different contributors to their pains, they relate in the way that their bodies remember a lifetime of these traumatic experiences and remain permanently changed because of it. 

Artist Statements:

Sierra Schweitzer’s newest work explores the relationship between body and surface, finding a way to interweave the complexities of pain within the entirety of a piece. This work is influenced by her newly developed relationship with chronic illness and simultaneously developing a relationship with ceramics. This concentration on sculptural ceramics has become a direct cause and effect of her new experiences with pain. In the process of making, clay has become an artistic practice of patience. Clay as a material requires patience through the entire process of building, firing, and surfacing. This is why Schweitzer's new work has become almost entirely ceramics and finding new ways of including other mediums atop of or embedded in clay. Similar to sculpture, her photographic work is even more personal as it captures the reality of how pain and exhaustion disrupt a sense of joy in everyday life.

Max Trumpower’s work specifically focuses on their relationship to their body and gender based on their Hispanic Catholic upbringing. Trumpower’s work focuses on twisting religious iconography into queer narratives through ceramics. As a medium, the plasticity of ceramics lends itself to how Trumpower views their relationship with gender. They explore gender roles within the church through a cultural lens that reflects on their own childhood experiences with religion. These narratives are displayed through their paintings on handbuilt altar vessels, as well as through figurative work. Trumpower also looks to reexamine the fear that they felt of authority figures within the church, and how this mirrored the fear they felt of authority figures within their own home life. Their work is not only a reflection of their PTSD from childhood, but a reflection of what many children fear: wrath.

Artist Biographies:

Sierra Schweitzer is a multidisciplinary artist whose work primarily focuses on sculpture and photography. Currently a senior at Appalachian State University and pursuing a degree in Studio Art, Schweitzer’s proficiency within multiple mediums has allowed for her newest work to explore the relationship between body and surface, finding a way to interweave the complexities of pain within the entirety of a piece. Much of her newest work is influenced by her newly developed relationship with chronic illness and simultaneously developing a relationship with ceramics. This concentration on sculptural ceramics has become a direct cause and effect of her new experiences with pain, and has formed into her new artistic practice of patience. Clay as a material requires patience through the entire process of building, firing, and surfacing, which is why Schweitzer's new work has become almost entirely ceramics and finding new ways of including other mediums atop or embedded in clay. Schweitzer has received multiple awards in the past few years including the Petschauer scholarship to attend a workshop at Penland School of Craft, and the Peggy Polson tuition scholarship which included $3,000 toward her university tuition in 2020-21. She was also awarded the Sherry Edwards Scholarship for Art in 2020, which is a tuition award for students concentrating in sculpture. Since then she has been focusing on personal projects and artist collaborations with local artists such as Lisa Stinson. 

Max Trumpower is an artist from Charlotte, North Carolina. Trumpower currently lives and works in Boone, North Carolina at Appalachian State University. They are a candidate for their BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in painting, and a secondary concentration in ceramics as they plan to graduate in May 2022. Trumpower utilizes a combination of sgraffito, oil painting, and other drawing methods within their work. Trumpower focuses on figurative work within their ceramics, completing these works with layers of oil paint. They are also interested in implementing found materials within their ceramics, and they experiment with different types of metals and building methods. Their current work focuses on the intersection between their Catholic upbringing and their queer identity. Trumpower has also received the Jody and Peter Petschauer scholarship, where they were fully funded to attend a summer workshop at the Penland School of Crafts. Max has participated in several group showings at the Nth Gallery located in Boone, NC in 2021. They had also been an intern this past summer at the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, where they were also a guest speaker leading a presentation about the queer artists that were included in Reynolda’s collection. After they graduate, they hope to attend a post-baccalaureate program and receive an MFA in ceramics in the near future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Weight of the World

Abe Krell

February 11 - March 4, 2022

Exhibition Statement: This exhibition relates to remote sensing and observing a changing Earth, along with the relation that music has on my work. All the pieces here show either the coastline or desert areas of the US. Recent developments in global warming, such as rising sea levels and desertification are where this change is most evident. Despite the interesting patterns and textures created, it’s unfortunate that much of this is caused by pollutants or eutrophication present in the image, and many of the desert scenes will show human developments that cover natural features. There are some scenes like Warmpop that look like a water feature, but it’s far away from any water source. The second reason for The Weight of the World name is the relationship between my workflow and how music influences what I create. The namesake of the exhibition nods to New York artist MIKE’s 2020 album Weight of the World, which I found myself listening to starting my artmaking adventure at the beginning of the Pandemic. The works are named after albums or songs that I enjoy, and which fit what is going on visually in the pieces. Search their namesakes up if you can!

Artist biography: Abe Krell is a senior at AppState studying Geographic Information Systems and Community and Regional Planning. He is a member of the Chancellor's Scholars Program and the president of the Appalachian Geographical Society. Other than his artwork, he enjoys reading, running, seeing live music, and collecting music memorabilia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Women Holding Up the World

Dr. Elaine J. O'Quinn

January 10 - February 11, 2022

Artist biography: Dr. O’Quinn has been a professor of English at ASU for 22 years. In her classes she consistently integrates the visual arts. When studying poetic form, students create their own paintings to go with the haiku and cinquain verses they compose. These are then complied into classroom community “quilts” that tell others something about what each student values in life. Students also make biographical collages that accompany narratives about their lives, and they are often asked to use art to depict characters, moods, emotions, and scenes. Pre-service English teachers are required to explore and create potential visual aids that might be used to support the teaching of texts. This may be anything from a mask for the ballroom scene in Romeo and Juliet to illustrating a passage from a text to creating a graphic depiction of a story to caricatures of characters. In her own work, Dr. O’Quinn works in several different mediums. She has won prizes for her alcohol ink paintings and done several gallery shows, created an array of visual art journals from collage, made greeting cards from both alcohol ink and collage, produced a line of jewelry that consists of rings, earrings and necklaces, dabbled in mixed media pictures, and uses both ink and other materials to create one-of-a-kind ornaments. This is her first attempt at a series of mixed media collages with a common theme.