The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at the College of the Holy Cross will show the work of graduating senior visual arts studio majors in the exhibition "Fine Art," which will be on view from Thursday, April 26 through graduation day, Friday, May 25. Student artists Alexandria Benoit, Matthew Brown, Erin Cunningham, Annalisa Dow, Ryan Hatfield, Joseph M. Metrano, Ann Mondi, Jake Nolan, Meg Snee, Autumn Taylor-Kelley, Megan Viera, Demetrius Wilson, Mengqi (Tavia) Wu will give presentations about their work in the gallery during the Academic Conference on Wednesday, April 25 beginning at noon through 2 p.m. The opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, April 26, 5:30–7 p.m.
Visual arts students who have participated in the year-long studio concentration seminar earn their place in the gallery by developing a cohesive body of work over the fall and spring semesters. In this capstone experience for the visual arts studio major, each student is given individual studio space and are encouraged to experiment with ideas and mediums, while cultivating an independent studio practice.
Amy Archambault Remby, lecturer and Millard Studio supervisor along with Rachelle Beaudoin, lecturer of digital arts media, co-taught the fall semester of the seminar, while Professor Cristi Rinklin was the instructor for the spring semester. Roger Hankins, director of the Cantor Art Gallery, serves as a professional mentor to the students throughout the process to help them conceptualize how their work will exist in a formal exhibition space.
Students engage in rigorous critiques with faculty and visiting artists with the goal of developing their work to its fullest potential. The senior exhibition experience provides students the opportunity to see their work transform through a professional presentation, in relation to the work of their peers, as well as through the reception of a public audience — a defining moment in which they transition from thinking of themselves as students to seeing themselves as working artists.
Each student's work is informed by their unique perspective as individuals, as well as their academic studies and evolving abilities as craftsman.
Senior artist Alexandria Benoit will exhibit mixed media works on canvas influenced by the Pattern and Decoration Movement of the 1970s as expressed by artists such as Miriam Shapiro and others; Matthew Brown has crafted stop motion Claymation videos that expose issues related to hook up culture; large scale oil paintings by Erin Cunningham will offer scenes of glaciers entering the sea in Glacier Bay, Alaska; an installation of brightly colored fabric and painted organic shapes will cover an entire wall assembled by Annalisa Dow; Ryan Hatfield will show conceptual kinetic sculptures, small-scale sculptures created with chewing gum, and paintings; reverse paintings on Plexi-glass and plywood by Autumn Taylor Kelley will examine femininity, sexuality, and what it means to be a woman in modern day society; Joseph M. Metrano has created mixed media sculpture and photographs that provoke visceral responses to man's domination and destruction of the natural world; Ann Mondi will show large scale mono-prints that seek to capture elusive and intangible memories; Jake Nolan will exhibit large scale paintings based on his experiences and reflections on the psychology of being; transforming personal pain through her sculptural and videoworks, Meg Snee will exhibit plaster casts of the human head; another printmaker, Megan Viera, will show mono-type and wood cut prints that explore the relationship between atmosphere and light; Demetrius Wilson offers glimpses of self through his oil painting portraiture; and Mengqi (Tavia) Wu uses the conceptual theme of telling secrets to engage the viewer in several visual and auditory experiences.
Visitors to the exhibition will be engaged both intellectually and visually as they view the work of this emerging group of young artists.
EVENTS
- Academic Conference presentation by senior visual arts studio majors
Wednesday, April 26, noon–2 p.m.
- Opening reception
Thursday, April 26, 5:30–7 p.m.
The gallery will be closed Saturday, May 19th.
Gallery Information
Founded in 1983 through the generosity of Iris & B. Gerald Cantor, the Cantor Art Gallery serves both as a venue for a changing series of historical and contemporary public exhibitions, as well as a vital resource for Holy Cross faculty and students, linking exhibitions to the broader liberal arts curriculum.
The hours for the Cantor Art Gallery are Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturdays, noon–5 p.m. Located in O’Kane Hall, 1st Floor, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worcester, Mass., 01610. Visitors needing assistance with handicap accessibility should contact Public Safety at 508-793-2011. Admission to the gallery is free.
For additional information please call 508-793-3356 or visit the gallery's website at: holycross.edu/cantorartgallery.
