By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The future of art is on display at Bowling Green State University. That future is bright, said Charles Kanwischer, director of the School of Art, despite the tough times.
The annual Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, “Wonder,” opened Friday in the University Galleries. It remains on exhibit, both for in-person viewing through April 7 and online.
“One way or another all of us have been deeply impacted by the pandemic,” he said. Many people have “suffered mental and economic hardship in the last year.”
Previous to Friday’s opening ceremony, the School of Art hosted “What’s Next?” a panel on what lies ahead for these soon-to-be graduates.
The three panelists – Detroit artist Adam Shirley; artist, musician, activist and teacher Wes Taylor; and museum administrator and BGSU graduate Mark Zuzik – addressed the pandemic and how it has disrupted their work and exposed “deep and long-standing inequities.”
It was, Kanwischer said, “an optimistic, forward-looking discussion.”
In many ways there’s never been a better time to be an artist ,designer or creative professional. “Yes,” he said, “some pathways have been disrupted. But more than ever our society needs the skills, resiliency, and creativity of artists, designers and creative entrepreneurs. Judging by the work in the exhibit, you’re ready to embrace the challenge.”
Much of the work grapples with the issues facing society – a range of environmental concerns, issues of ethnicity and identity, post-traumatic stress syndrome in veterans, nutrition, and body image.
Even in the work with less overt social messages, Kanwischer said, “there’s an obvious deep regard for each other and your communities” that’s reflected with the high concern for the way the art is crafted and presented.
The Medici Circle Cup Best of Show Award went to Jacob Church for his photographic series “Who Ran the Iron Horse.”
The Toledo-native uses his work to reflect on his place in Northwest Ohio. In is artist’s statement, he writes: “Photography is a way in which I can see past the fog of my own familiarity, and communicate with what is pictured and myself. These vernacular subjects serve as vehicles in which to document my own process of evaluating a place I’ve known as home.”
Other award winners are:
Faculty Awards
Aaron Macy Memorial Scholarship
Dave Cayton Memorial Scholarship (2 recipients)
Dr. Elizabeth Casey Friends of the Libraries Sculpture Award
James W. Strong Studio Achievement Award
James W. Strong Digital Arts Studio Achievement Award
James W. Strong Graphic Design Studio Achievement Award
James W. Strong Outstanding Senior Award
Marilyn Singleton/Medici Circle Leadership Award (Undergrad)
Mark Borsz Memorial Scholarship
Robert W. Hurlstone Memorial Art Glass Award
Tom and Jane Vanden Eynden Photography Award
Tom and Jane Vanden Eynden Art Education Award
Dominick and Elizabeth Labino Art and Technology Award
Brad Simpson – Retrograde
Nominees:
David Bloom – Transphobia
X’zandra Tammerine – Layers of Acceptance
Liliana Dolciato – You’re Not Really Doing Anything To Help
Megan Messer – Social Tea
Brad Simpson – Retrograde
Lindsay West – Gone Viral
Monnier Family Foundation Outstanding Artist Award
Meadow Kaye – Family Portraits: A Study of Generational Trauma
Nominees:
Megan Smith – Aria
Allyson Henlein – Out of the Box
Megan Diamond – Recycled Memories
Meadow Kaye – Family Portraits: A Study of Generational Trauma
Harmony Ross – Khailaz
Mackenna Willis – Post Oma
PURCHASE AWARDS
Bowen Thompson Student Union Purchase Award
Bekah Shininger – Backpacker
Medici Circle Purchase Prize Award
Bekah Shininger – House Couple
Medici Circle Cup Best Of Show Award
Jacob Church – Who Ran the Iron Horse
