ALFRED: An art show can be exciting and thought
provoking. A person’s work can make other people see ideas and materials in new
ways and the memory of that experience can hide in a mind ready to pop out at
any time and demand attention.
Art shows in Alfred generally draw large
crowds of people ready to look, listen and reflect as they swarm through
galleries. A great opportunity to experience the work of about 90 graduates is
set for Saturday May 9 from 3 till 6 pm.
All 90 students are about to graduate with
Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. They will be on hand, often offering
refreshments, sometimes introducing their parents and always ready to engage in
conversation. Three such students are Ryana Lawson, Drew Schenck and Brooke
Tillotson.
Ryana came to Alfred from Rochester to
pursue a BFA with a concentration in ceramics. Her show will be in the Painting
Studio, 2nd floor of Harder Hall.
AU’s reputation in ceramics drew her to
the university. She was concerned about attending a small school in a rural community
but looks back now on the experience as a good fit.
“A college is all about community and my
community here has been fantastic,” she said. “I worked intensely here and feel
satisfied.”
Ryana will show plates, cups and cake
plates of terra cotta clay, covered with white slip and embellished with brightly
colored plants and animals.
Ryana wants that atmosphere of
uncertainty to be there. She is interested in the cycle of life and death and
enjoys seeing the variety of reactions from people who take time to look deeply
at her drawings.
After graduation, Ryana will spend some
time at Haystack as a Teaching Assistant. She has applied for some post-bachelor
programs and apprenticeships but she’s not certain of her next long-term
position.
Drew Schenck’s thesis show doesn’t have
a shred of cute in it though he does have carefully shredded clothing. Drew was
drawn from his home in New Orleans to Alfred for the ceramics program but his
BFA will have a concentration in sculpture.
“I came for ceramics but stopped being
loyal to one material and started exploring sculptural works,” said Drew.
Like Ryana, Drew was concerned about
feeling isolated in a small town but said that the close relationships he has
formed with faculty and students here made Alfred great.
Drew’s work will be on the 4th
floor in Binns-Merril Hall. When we talked he was still working on his
statement but the elements he willdraw together surrounded him.
He used parts of a mannequin to form
molds to make a series of body parts. He had a number of body segments lined up
on a cart, some smooth, some written on, others with texture. He also had some
clothing parts. What was once a shirt was only the collar, the button placket
and enough of the side seams to hold it together and give one the sense of a
shirt, the shadow of a shirt.
Why parts of a body or parts of
clothing? Drew believes that our memories are in bits and parts, often more of an
impression than a detailed full story. Sometimes memories are about scent or
touch - senses he feels are more personal than the visual.
Drew’s sculptural works will be hidden
inside of frosted Plexiglas boxes. Holes in the boxes will allow his guests to
reach inside to explore the work and try to gain a sense of it through touch.
There will also be waxed posters scented with essential oils ready for
fingertip exploration.
The work is a vehicle for conversations
and he’s looking forward to watching and listening to the reactions to his
work. After graduation Drew hopes to find an internship or residency for summer
and beyond.
Brooke Tilloston went to high school in
Canadigua where her guidance counselor, an alumna of AU, suggested that Brooke
might be happy in Alfred. After a campus visit, Brooke declared Alfred to be a
“golden nugget” and decided not to apply to any other schools.
She will graduate with a BFA with a
concentration in graphic design. “Alfred forces people to experiment in new
media. That’s the purpose of foundations class. Everyone does everything. The
first week we made a puppet show and then we made cardboard coral reefs. We all
worked on our own projects but worked near everyone else so we all talked,
learned, thought and taught together.”
Brook hopes that Alfred will find a way
to increase the faculty in the graphic design department. Last year there was
one faculty member and one adjunct but now there is just one person. This
limits the experience brought to students and spreads that one faculty member stress-fully thin.
Brook’s thesis show will be on the
second floor of Harder Hall. The focus of Brook’s show is “a charming story
book with nostalgic text and images.” The main character is Annabel Lee, a nod
to a character created by Edgar Allen Poe.
Brooke has long loved the works of Poe
and views them as not frightening stories but as wispy dreams. She blended Poe’s
stories into her own dream experience, illustrated them and created a young
adult book. Her book will be available for order at the show for the Blurb
price of $30.
There will also be broadsides for each
of the main stories: Fairyland, The Raven, Sleeper, Black Cat and Annabel Lee.
Those familiar with senior thesis shows
will notice a change in the placement of shows. Instead of having two students
share a small space, groups of 4-7 will display in a large area. Shows are set
for Harder Hall, Binns-Merrill Hall and the Cohen Center (behind the Cohen
Gallery on Main Street). The goal is to allow for a better traffic flow within
in the buildings and fewer hidden, out-of-the-way spaces.
All shows are open to the public with
students on hand from 3-6 pm on Saturday, May 9. Parking is always limited so
expect to walk.
Harder Hall is the building near the
traffic light in Alfred and that’s a good place to start. There may be maps of
gallery areas posted but it always works to blend into the crowd and flow
through the spaces with everyone else. Some work is offered for sale and all is
offered for discussion so feel free to talk with everyone you see.
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