Nathaniel Barbone’s glass chess set is on display at the Urban Arts Space at 50 W. Town St. Credit: Kathleen Senge | Lantern Reporter
While many Ohio State students prepare for exams and papers as the semester draws to a close, graduating art majors celebrate their hard work by showcasing their art for the community.
The fourteen students graduating this semester were required to contribute senior projects to the Department of Art, Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Projects Exhibition, which opened Tuesday at the Urban Arts Space.
Jordan Baker has six pieces on display, all created with screen prints and acrylic ink. He said his work is a homage to his upbringing through comics, movies, music and religion.
“The process distorts the image to a point of forced perspective, where I have to take a step back to view the entire scope of my work,” Baker said in an email. “It has helped me think more critically about my past and the current situations in my life. But all of this is done in a lighthearted way, with humor. I make fun of myself and use images that encourage laughter because of scenes of a movie or a character taken out of context.”
Matt Takacs’ “Light, Implied.” Credit: Kathleen Senge | Lantern Reporter
Nathaniel Barbone, who has two pieces in the show, said he wanted to incorporate functionality and his hobbies into his work. He is displaying a chess set made of glass, as well as a working guitar which he plans to play at the show’s reception on Dec. 17.
“The body (of the guitar) is made out of wood and the neck is sand-cast glass, which is made when you press an object into a bed of sand, leaving a cavity in which to pour molten glass,” Barbone said. “It’s a weird piece that was pretty ambitious, and I’m glad it worked out.”
Austyn Dropsey contributed a series of three acrylic paintings called “Destruction.” Each painting represents a type of pollution — land water and air — and depicts human organs and nature being affected by the pollution. The work is influenced by graffiti, tattooing, skateboard art, screen printing and music, according to the artist statement included in the gallery.
Annie Stults contributed four pieces, including “Ladybugs Is A Codename,” a collection of oil paintings depicting cartoon-like monsters framed and displayed on a coffee table. Stults said she sees the paintings as a reflection or self-portrait.
“My work in this exhibition tends to play a line between creepy, offbeat and humorous,” Stults said in an email. “It all represents my inner demons or even skeletons in my closet, but I can also step back from them and laugh and feel better about my life because of them. I can accept certain things and let go of others through making my art and it is my hope that my audience can relate, no matter what their troubles may be.”
Matt Takacs created “Light, Implied,” using glass, wood, steel, copper and paint. Spherical glass pieces hang on chains from the ceiling and sit on top of wood tables. Takacs, a glass artist, focused on minimizing the amount of glass used in this piece, according to his artist statement.
Cari Gaynes created six sculptures using yarn intertwined through chicken wire to create colorful patterns. Each sculpture has a corresponding painting in which Gaynes used corresponding patterns and colors.
“I want someone to view my work and notice something different each time they view it, and continue to be interested in it,” Gaynes said.
Kayla Tate, who studies art and technology with a minor in fashion and retail studies, made handbags using artificial animal fur and feathers. The project, titled “Fashion Alive,” includes animal sounds coming from the bags.
“I wanted to bring awareness to animal lives while also making a fashion statement,” Tate said in an e-mail. “Typically when animals are used to create fashion accessories, their lives are taken. I wanted my work to focus on animals living through fashion.”
The exhibit will be on display at Urban Arts Space, located at 50 W. Town St., now until Dec. 17. Urban Arts Space is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. A reception is set for Dec. 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. Admission is free.
Annie Stults “Ladybugs Is A Codename.” Credit: Kathleen Senge | Lantern Reporter
