2022 AMUM Juried Student Exhibition

Department, Major, & Focus: Fine Arts, Music Industry, Recording Technology
Year: Junior
Medium/Media/Materials : photoshop
Method: manual camera
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: I named my series “HAIR LOVE?” in reference to the book Hair Love. HAIR LOVE? is a social commentary on the stigmas and double standard behind black hair. Often times, people are fascinated by ‘profound’ black hair styles, such as thick locs or big afros, and feel inclined to touch it. They may find it beautiful, mysterious, or just simply different. On the other side however, some find black hair styles as provocative, intimidating, or unprofessional. Some businesses and sports organizations have implemented a ban on specific black hair styles, forcing participants and employees to shave their heads in order to move forward in their respective environments. But is it really fair to judge someone based on their hairstyle before you even get to know who they are? Due to the fact that hair bias is a form of oppression, I chose to present the series in black and white to show the intensity of the matter. I open the series with a close up on the subject on each model. I used flash for a natural contrast against a rough, recycled material wall to display the rough reality behind getting judged for your hair style. Next, I presented each subject smiling in a portrait to show that they’re more than just their hair style. They’re real people with real emotions who go through real things. In the third photo for each model, I presented an activity and phrase to contradict the stereotype assigned to each person. I used harsh lighting on the first photo, and softer lighting on the two that followed to show just how different the reality is versus the expectation. To add, I first got inspired to do a project like this in 2019 when I shaved my head clean of my locs. The number one question I got asked the most was if I cut my hair in order to get a job. I felt like that was such a weak minded and weak willed expectation. I was somewhat offended by the question even. When shooting this project and editing it, I was finally able to express the feelings I felt back then through my art.

Department, Major, & Focus: Fogelman College, Marketing Mgmt Major. Dept. of Art, Fine art minor, Oil Painting
Year: Junior
Dimensions: 18 x 24
Medium/Media/Materials : Gouache on Arches Cold Press 140 lb.
Method: Ink drawing and Gouache painting
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: This work is a depiction of the transcendental. Using spiritual and sacred motifs, I intend to evoke a remembrance of the connection to the divine essence. The use of both abstract and representational forms alludes to the creation of the physical from the non-physical. My process involves using meditation and visualization techniques to invoke a collage of symbols that can be translated into a work of art.

Department, Major, & Focus: Fogelman College, Marketing Mgmt Major. Dept. of Art, Fine art minor, Oil Painting
Year: Junior
Dimensions: 20 x 30
Medium/Media/Materials : Gouache on Arches Cold Press 140lb.
Method: Ink drawing and gouache painting
Year: 2020
Artist Statement: This work is a depiction of the entrance to the Garden of Eden. I intended to create a work that evokes a feeling similar to pushing aside flowers and shrubbery as one enters into a dense garden of paradise. I began with finding ornamental and floral references which I translated into a line drawing that was then painted with gouache.

Department, Major, & Focus: Fogelman College, Marketing Mgmt Major. Dept. of Art, Fine art minor, Oil Painting
Year: Junior
Dimensions: 36 x 48
Medium/Media/Materials : Oil on canvas
Method: Oil paint on stretched canvas
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: This work is a depiction of me at 24 years old. It is a representation of my possibilities and unlimited willpower to continue on through this journey of life. I wanted to depict my strength and pride that I have developed through both hardships and beautiful experiences.

Department, Major, & Focus: Department of Art, Studio Art
Year: Sophomore
Dimensions: 20 x 19 x 14
Medium/Media/Materials : clay, gouache
Method: sculpting, firing, painting
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: With sculpting, I can take the emotions inside of me, and put them into the clay, making a piece that shows how I feel. In my art, I try to show emotion through parts of the human figure. Specifically, emotions of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Making art helps calm me and lets me describe myself in a way that words can’t.

Department, Major, & Focus: Department of Art, Studio Art
Year: Sophomore
Dimensions: 5 x 4 x 6.5
Medium/Media/Materials : clay, glaze
Method: sculpting, raku firing
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: With sculpting, I can take the emotions inside of me, and put them into the clay, making a piece that shows how I feel. In my art, I try to show emotion through parts of the human figure. Specifically, emotions of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Making art helps calm me and lets me describe myself in a way that words can’t.

Department, Major, & Focus: Department of Psychology, Psychology, Department of Art, Studio Art
Year: Senior
Dimensions: 24 x 24 x 7
Medium/Media/Materials : glazed ceramic tiles on wood board
Method: hand-carved clay, bisqued, mixed glazes, fired, glued on wood board, and caulk between tiles
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: The days move fast So fast I don’t realize when they pass I have found comfort in noticing the sky’s transformation Take my time to observe creation The serenity amidst my consuming days Too little time so I turn to my clays

Department, Major, & Focus: Department of Psychology, Psychology, Department of Art, Studio Art
Year: Senior
Dimensions: 40 x 22 x 1
Medium/Media/Materials : glazed ceramic plates
Method: created plates using press molding, incised illustration into clay, bisqued, mixed glazes, and fired
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: The blood moon symbolizes the beginning of the end times in the Bible. The trying times we’ve been experiencing recently seem biblical in nature, but instead of death and destruction, a light can be found in the blood red moon’s darkness. Clay’s versatility and dynamism create both an ominous object, as well as a beacon of hope.

Department, Major, & Focus: Communication and Fine Arts, Art History
Year: Senior
Dimensions: 30 x 24 x 1
Medium/Media/Materials : Framed Photo Print
Method: Photography
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: This series, titled Individualism to the Point of Isolation: Finding Beauty Through Suffering, explores duality, light and dark, and the beauty that is found in the shadows. Inspired by 20th century surrealism, abstract expressionism and post modernism, the series employs the juxtaposition of everyday objects in minimal compositions with unexpected angles in soothing and sometimes eerie pink and purple lighting. The answers to our suffering lie within. Tapping into our own innate beauty as the ultimate source of love brings appreciation for the external beauty that exists in the color, shape and form of our everyday surroundings.

Department, Major, & Focus: Studio Art, Graphic Design
Year: Sophomore, Junior
Dimensions: 13.175 x 19.76
Medium/Media/Materials : giclee print
Method: digital photography
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: In modern humanity’s ever evolving quest for spiritual enlightenment, misguided and often harmful ideas cloud our sense of contentment. Vengeful and vindictive thoughts become projected on religious viewpoints for validation. Others fall victim to unsound indoctrinations by malice disguised as charisma. How do we know when this is happening? How do we know when spirituality has been pushed “too far” and is now considered a cult? At what point do we stop respecting people for their beliefs and begin to fear them? In my series Candy Cult, I ask these questions by highlighting the ridiculous nature of blind devotion, as well as attempt to find the unsettling meeting ground of the super colorful, and the dark and disturbed.

Department, Major, & Focus: Studio Art, Graphic Design
Year: Sophomore, Junior
Dimensions: 8.25 x 11
Medium/Media/Materials : Print
Method: Digital Photography
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: In modern humanity’s ever evolving quest for spiritual enlightenment, misguided and often harmful ideas cloud our sense of contentment. Vengeful and vindictive thoughts become projected on religious viewpoints for validation. Others fall victim to unsound indoctrinations by malice disguised as charisma. How do we know when this is happening? How do we know when spirituality has been pushed “too far” and is now considered a cult? At what point do we stop respecting people for their beliefs and begin to fear them? In my series Candy Cult, I ask these questions by highlighting the ridiculous nature of blind devotion, as well as attempt to find the unsettling meeting ground of the super colorful, and the dark and disturbed.

Department, Major, & Focus: Studio Arts
Year: Junior
Dimensions: 20 x 32 x 1
Medium/Media/Materials : Oil paint on canvas
Method: Painting
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: Kendrick Pendleton’s Artist Statement Listen let’s be honest here. None of us know what we’re doing right now. We all expected to somehow be rich and famous by now. A lot of things did not come out as planned for us. I know for sure it didn’t for me. It’s so bad to the point I don’t know what I am doing with anything in my life anymore. The only thing that does make sense for me is to create. I find comfort in these little doodles and creations. These cute pieces of art help slow things down just enough to catch your breath. These soft familiar colors allow one to rest before getting back into the chaos that’s being alive. Most importantly it helps me get a grip. I create in hopes of one-day understanding and hopefully, in the process my art can bring others comfort as it does for me.

Department, Major, & Focus: Department of Art, Art, Painting
Year: Graduate Student
Dimensions: 24 x 18
Medium/Media/Materials : Playing Cards and Acrylic on Paper
Method: Collage and painting
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: My work explores the varying relationships between playing cards and art. They’re both appealing yet mysterious to the eye of the viewer. My inspiration came from a conversation I had with a coworker who told me that we must play the cards that we’re dealt with meaning that we make use with what is afforded or available. As artists, we create art with limited funding, equipment, and sometimes everyday objects. The concept of my work is focused on creating a visual impact with the playing cards, an object that is used for entertainment or personal purposes. My collage is made from playing cards that are cut into different shapes to form the subject. I glued the cards to create the piece that is presented to the audience. Using cards, I’m able to take something that was used as a means or entertainment into a work of art that mesmerizing to the viewers.

Department, Major, & Focus: Department of Art, Art, Painting
Year: Graduate Student
Dimensions: 24 x 24 x 1
Medium/Media/Materials : Playing Cards and Acrylic on Panel
Method: Collage
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: My work explores the varying relationships between playing cards and art. They’re both appealing yet mysterious to the eye of the viewer. My inspiration came from a conversation I had with a coworker who told me that we must play the cards that we’re dealt with meaning that we make use with what is afforded or available. As artists, we create art with limited funding, equipment, and sometimes everyday objects. The concept of my work is focused on creating a visual impact with the playing cards, an object that is used for entertainment or personal purposes. My collage is made from playing cards that are cut into different shapes to form the subject. I glued the cards to create the piece that is presented to the audience. Using cards, I’m able to take something that was used as a means or entertainment into a work of art that mesmerizing to the viewers.

Department, Major, & Focus: BFA in Art, Concentration in Graphic Design
Year: Sophomore
Dimensions: 14.9 x 11.1
Medium/Media/Materials : Digital Illustration, Medibang Paint Pro, Huion Camvas Pro 16" Tablet
Method: Cartoon Illustration
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: I love finding beauty in every shape. Lets push past the typical hourglass fat body positivity, not every fat person is shaped the same. Start thinking of yourself as a canvas. You may not have control over the size of your canvas, or the damage done to your canvas, but in the end you control what you put on your canvas. And there will always be at least one person who sees you as a masterpiece. It's up to you to show the world that masterpiece.

Department, Major, & Focus: BFA in Art, Concentration in Graphic Design
Year: Sophomore
Dimensions: 14.7 x 11.4
Medium/Media/Materials : Digital Illustration, Medibang Paint Pro, Huion Camvas Pro 16" Tablet
Method: Cartoon Illustration
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: "Then the woman stepped onto the land. She sprinkled dust into the air and created the stars. Then she created the moon and sun." My visual interpretation of the Iroquois Origin Story, and the creation of Mother Earth. Water holds sacred meaning to all life. It is where all life originated, it's how we live and thrive, and most importantly it is ever-changing. All civilizations on Earth would not have been created without flowing rivers, lakes, and oceans. Our dependability on water comes hand in hand with living.

Department, Major, & Focus: Art, Painting
Year: Graduate Student
Dimensions: 22 x 22 x 5
Medium/Media/Materials : Acrylic and enamel on wood
Method: Painting on cutout wood shapes.
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: This sculptural painting is inspired by "Milagros." These charms are traditionally linked with a specific prayer and originated in Mexico. These are my Milagros. This specific miracle is an allegory of the joy that comes with peace beyond understanding. My paintings are inspired by biblical concepts seen through a lens of allegory in a pop-surrealist style. I seek to create connection through the presentation of the human figure and propose intrigue through the costumes my figures wear, the flowers they are surrounded by, and the settings they exist in or outside of.

Department, Major, & Focus: Art, Painting
Year: Graduate Student
Dimensions: 18 x 45 x 5
Medium/Media/Materials : Acrylic on wood
Method: Painting on cutout wood shapes
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: This is from a series about three characters that go throughout the world helping people through different life experiences. These amorphous wood-headed men display kindness, patience, and graciousness inspired by the Holy Trinity. My paintings are inspired by biblical concepts seen through a lens of allegory in a pop-surrealist style. I seek to create connection through the presentation of the human figure and propose intrigue through the costumes my figures wear, the flowers they are surrounded by, and the settings they exist in or outside of.

Department, Major, & Focus: Studio Arts
Year: Junior
Dimensions: 10 x 20 x 11
Medium/Media/Materials : Midrange stoneware, underglaze and glaze
Method: Slip casts and hand building Underglaze transfers (blue floral) and hand drawn and painted underglaze imagery and stripes.
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: Time is a funny thing, and so too are these teapots. Inspired by the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, these teapots take a whimsical approach to a traditional ceramic form and are transformed into characters. Identical in form up until the progressively unstable, pocket watch feet upon which they rest and the increasingly weathered and weary surfacing, these characters can be seen as exploring the effects of and relationships to time: specifically the past, present, and future.

Department, Major, & Focus: Studio Arts
Year: Junior
Dimensions: 12.5 x 13 x 14.5
Medium/Media/Materials : Midrange stoneware, acrylic paint
Method: Hand building, relief carving, and cold finishing
Year: 2021
Artist Statement: There are certain objects that come to embody/define a person, their favorite t-shirt, or jeans, or in this case work boots. These objects end up becoming indistinguishable from the person, their personality, and their life and experiences. They fade and aquire marks and scrapes and wrinkles just as we do, however even in tatters they outlast us and continue on telling our stories. In sculpting these life size replicas of the boots my dad wore everyday, I got the opportunity to study these marks and imagine their stories and the life he must have lived in them. These boots, and other tangible objects of signifcance left behind, allow us all the opportunity to identify the impact of the intangible things people have left us with and to learn how to metaphorically walk through our lives in those shoes.