2024 Juried Student Exhibition
Gayle Paul wrote in her Juror's Statement:
This exhibit highlights recent artwork created by Old Dominion University art students. It represents what these artists are making, thinking, and dreaming about. A total of 84 digital works were submitted into an online portal from which fifty works by nineteen artists working across multiple disciplines and in a range of media and subject matter were selected.
Presented are traditional and nontraditional uses of art media presented in artists' books, drawings, fiber arts, metalsmithing, paintings, photographs, printmaking, and sculptures. Honoring personal and collective histories, their voices observe and ponder art historical, environmental, and our human connections and concerns.
With many conventional art forms and media presented, I will discuss works that have broken from more historical norms. Sculptures which introduced new materials and found objects into the art dialogue may be viewed in such works as "Wash, Rinse and Repeat" by Megan Obenas, and "Take my Body for Your Comfort" by Seville Partida, or "Mane Chandelier" by Bria Tyler.
Once considered a craft medium, artists over the last century who worked with fiber or other considered craft media, have challenged the discourse, and upended the previous canon. Visit works by Elijah Chumley to view fiber works that serve to break this norm.
With fifty works on view, it is difficult to give mention to all the artists and their works that deserve it. Therefore, I leave you with questions to contemplate. Which works speak to you, and why? Does the work represent the times in which we live? Which works will you remember once you leave the gallery?
Megan Obenaus wrote in her statement:
The work I create is an exploration of my personal experiences and identity paired with an interest in challenging our preconceived notions of existing objects. I seek to investigate the sense of ambivalence that comes with human nature ultimately considering how the relationship between feelings of comfort and discomfort shape our lives. The process of re-contextualizing objects through means of material, imagery, or functionality, allows us to dissect the complexities of our everyday experiences. These familiarities are often not as mundane as they may seem and hold deep rooted meanings reflecting principles such as what we value most, and the nature of how we think and interact with the world around us.