Trisha Brockmeyer, Susana Duffy, Ginny McCauley and Kinsey Krause Senior Thesis Exhibitions
March 2, 2018
Xavier University and the Department of Art are pleased to present a group thesis exhibition by four senior art majors: Trisha Brockmeyer-Art History, Susana Duffy-Painting/Sculpture, Ginny McCauley-Graphic Design, and Kinsey Krause-Graphic Design. The exhibition is March 2-16, 2018.
Trisha Brockmeyer presents “Jestem.” The artist states: “The work in my show reflects the research I have done on the Polish sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz. This artist continually faced themes of anonymity and identity in her life, which reflects strongly in her work. I have taken elements of her work, including the use of recycled materials, hollow figures, and textiles, to create an installation addressing how identity and anonymity both shape our society and individuality. Additionally, highlights of my academic essay will be available in the gallery. Jestem means “I am…” in Polish. It is a simple statement, but one that many of us-including Abakanowicz struggled to complete.”
Susana Duffy presents “Taxonomy of the Mind”- a group of paintings and sculptures. The artist states: “The purpose of my work has been to explore the vastly expanding realms of my subconscious through the utilization of aspects seen in the automatic surrealist art movement. A movement made popular in the early 20th century in which artists suppressed conscious control over the making process. The results of my work both in painting and in sculpture have seemingly biomorphic forms closely resembling objects seen in nature. Only after the finalization of a piece do I attempt to interpret it’s meaning and identify the outside influences involved in the design.” Her goal is to help the viewer interpret her work with whatever subjectivity their subconscious chooses to see.
Kinsey Krause presents “I’m OK”- four pictures and a typography video. The pieces are about mental illness and how they can be invisible. The work is based on mental illnesses that she has been in contact with, such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. The pictures represent that because a person looks okay on the outside, does not mean they are okay on the inside. The photos are done with a photo weaving technique. Each photo represents the invisible illness in a different way. The video is made from type. It starts with an “I Am Tired” statement. The tired is an acronym using the words torn, insecure, ruined, emotional and depressed. The end of the video goes on to say, “I am not okay.” The name of the show, “I’m OK” comes from this. Many times people say “I’m OK” when they really are not. They are either afraid to talk about it or they don’t want to. The purpose of Kinsey’s work is to bring awareness to invisible mental illnesses. She wants to help viewers realize these illnesses are real life issues. Often we don’t know what the people around us are going through.
“Journey with Me” a children’s book written and illustrated by Ginny McCauley, follows a little boy through various places that he has visited and documents them in his journal. The ABC book creates a sense of adventure in the child and surprises the reader when they discover whom the child has decided to direct his journal towards. Children are always learning new things and experiencing new places, which forms curiosity in them. When they are curious they want to explore this new opportunity in order to fully understand it. This book plays off that curiosity and allows the reader to journal about those new experiences they have discovered. After reading this book, I hope readers will feel the desire to journal and explore. The back of the book allows for children to do just that by creating their own ABC adventure journal as they visit either the same or different places that interests them.”
Please join the artists on Friday, March 2nd, 6:00-8:00 p.m. for a reception. Enjoy the art and free refreshments.
