My thesis exhibition was held in March of 2014 in the Acock North Gallery on the campus of Columbus College of Art and Design. I have broken my senior thesis into 4 project sections and offer brief explanations of the meaning and process behind each section.
The overarching theme was merit and how it is distributed and valued in modern culture. I took a minimal approach to my exhibition in order to get down to the very foundation of what we percieve merit to be. I was happy to be able to blend my love for detail and my love for natural materials such as wood into the show. This was an incredibly valuable experience in which I was exposed to every aspect of putting on a solo exhibition. It was the perfect capstone to my time at the Columbus College of Art and Design.
GOLD STAR
I used the gold star to represent a token of merit. Gold stars are awarded to both kindergarteners and highly decorated war veterans. The significance of the token is decided by who is awarding it. Throughout my exhibition, I played with scale and quantity to test the parameters of merit.
This star was the centerpiece of the show. It measured just under 10' x10' and was made out of plywood.
This was the most complicated build I have ever done. The meticulous measuring, adjusting, sanding, etc. never seemed to end
The build time I set aside for this piece fell during spring break and I was caught off guard by new lab policies that forced me to set up shop in my parent's garage in London, OH.
This star ate cans of spray paint like no other, but I needed to use that method in order to obtain the metallic look I had planned.
I was very happy with the final product and the difficulty and struggle of the build was masked by the delicate handling of the finishing processes.
PRINTS
This series of prints tests the balance between concept and execution. They are minimal in appearance, but all three were created in a very labor intensive way. Much like the star, they appear very simple, and the effort that went into making them is not outwardly available to aid in the judgement of the piece.
Layout on linoleum block prior to carving.
Directional marks aid in maintaining the flow of the piece once carving begins.
Care must be takin to ensure that the line stays continuous and connected.
Ink applied to the block prior to it being run through the press.
One of the first runs of a block.
Determining which prints from each edition will be framed for the show.
Signing the edition.
The prints are float mounted in hand crafted shadowboxes made from pine and backed with cedar and 2-ply museum board with a plexiglass front.
The series of prints on display in my exhibition.
Detail shot.
MEDALS
The ceramic medals were take-aways that people were invited to take with them after they viewed the exhibition. Each one was made individually an dstamped with a hand made stamp then sprayed gold to match the giant star.
Cutting the initial shape out of a roll of clay
Before firing the medals
Post-fire
This bowl was refilled throughout the week and insured everyone that visited the show got their own unique participation medal.
Be sure to check out my watercolor painting, Phlebas. It is a piece that was originally part of the exhibition, but I ended up pulling because I didn't feel it was cohesive with the exhibition.
I couldn't have pulled off this exhibition without the help of my father, pictured below. It was an extremely rewarding challenge putting this show together.
Thanks for checking it out!
