Friday
March 19, 2010
Beard Arts Center showcases senior artwork
Seniors meagan parsley, Jarrod Evans, and Kara Anderson displayed multiple pieces of art in the Beard Arts Center Monday as a part of their senior shows. All artwork will remain on display for about two weeks.
“Looking back, photography’s always been a part of my life,” said Parsley. “I just never thought I’d choose that for a profession.”
Parsley received her first camera when she was eight years old and has been taking photographs ever since. Though she entered Indiana Wesleyan as an education major, remembering her love for art, she switched her major to photography after the first semester.
“I’ve always loved it, and coming here and meeting the art professors … [it] kind of grew into a passion,” she said.
In Monday’s art show, Parsley displayed three pieces with three photographs within each piece, all with the theme of change: one’s reaction to change, society’s expectations and “how we’re always chasing change,” said Parsley.
“All through the [photography] program, it’s all commercial and you learn the aesthetics of photograph,” said Parsley. “But when you get to the fine art class, you learn that it’s more than what the picture looks like, it can have a meaning to it. Depending on what you’re doing, you can really speak a message to people.”
“[All] the different careers that you want to have, throughout all of them, I always said that I wanted to be an artist or a cartoonist, along with wanting to be a dentist … or archaeologist – all these other strange careers that for a few months you want to be as a kid,” said Evans. “But I always wanted to be an artist.”
Evans said he cannot remember a time when he wasn’t drawing, which led him to pursuing art in college. After talking to a friend who was an illustration major at IWU, Evans looked into the major and saw it as the place for him.
During his time at IWU, Evans learned about how art is a discipline and about the work it takes to develop the passion and skill.
“More so than any techniques or anything that that I’ve learned here, it’s more so about instilling a sense of discipline and help cultivate that passion, help it to grow,” said Evans.
After graduation, Evans plans on moving to Columbus, Ohio, a city with an impressive art district, according to Evans. Knowing it will take a few years before he can make a living off of his art, Evans will take a transition job while sending out his portfolio.
Unlike Parsley and Evans, Anderson’s love for photography came unintentionally.
“To be honest, it just came out of the blue,” she said. “I was a psychology major the first year and over the summer I was really feeling the Lord calling me to photography for some reason. I never had any art experience or anything so I was like, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing!’ But I decided to kind of go with it, and that’s where I am now.”
One of her friends was a photography major and Anderson was always intrigued by her work. Anderson’s interest in photography sparked from there.
The concept of “no voice” underlies all of Anderson’s art work in the show. This theme represents her view of art as communication.
“It is [about] not being able to really say what you want to say,” Anderson said, “but having art to express it easier because you don’t actually have to say it.”
Through her three years in the IWU art program, Anderson learned a lot about creating art with a concept.
“Sometimes it’s harder to make art with concept because you just want to make art,” she said. “I think I’ll always think about that, whether it’s consciously or not – to really think about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.”
After graduation, Anderson said she wants to do pet photography. She said that even if photography is only a side job, she would love to work with animals.
Consider these Related Articles:
