Vibrant colors and textures everywhere you look. The sound of water running through a fountain in the shape of a woman’s torso in the corner of the room. A collection of pieces that beg your attention with the stories they have to share. Gaddy-Hamrick’s Weems Gallery is now featuring the "Get It Girl" Senior Art Exhibition, a collection of pieces by senior Studio Art majors Taylor Harris, Alexis Haynes and Victoria Mulcahy.
By using a variety of media, including ceramics, paint, woven fibers and sculptures, each student expresses a different story through her work. For Taylor Harris, varying fiber textures allowed her to “develop a theme focusing on the way women are treated in a male dominant world” by using “soft yarn to show the gentleness of women and branches to show the vigorousness of men.” Harris’ pieces immediately draw attention with their colorful and unique patterns, but she cautions the audience not to be fooled by this alone; “There is a deeper meaning behind each piece of art.”
In her pieces for the exhibition, Alexis Haynes predominantly uses paintings and drawings to express “the effects of childhood obesity on adulthood mental health,” as well as “the struggles that have come with” obesity. Haynes states that after “a long winding road of trying to find self-acceptance and personal discovery,” the works she contributed to the "Get It Girl" exhibition “were created as a means to break down walls [she has] built up through [her] life, and express new emotions,” by being “both physically and emotionally vulnerable to the audience.” Her large scale works and use of color, both vibrant and contrasting, pull the audience’s eye towards them magnetically, captivating them with the movement in each piece. “Art has always been important to me,” Haynes stated; “It is a means for me to express myself and invoke meaningful conversations,” building upon her talent both as a studio artist and as a tattoo artist.
Victoria Mulcahy uses ceramic and sculptural media to further understand her emotions and express them through physical forms. Being a double major in both Studio Art and Graphic Design, Mulcahy uses the skills from both concentrations to develop her awareness and exploration of space in her sculptures. The theme of a female form in combination with plants, flowers and greenery unites her body of work, and the use of text allows her to communicate specific messages to the audience. Contrast and physical textures captivate, moving the eye smoothly between focal points to make sure nothing is left unnoticed.
The "Get It Girl" exhibition is a wonderful accumulation of visually and emotionally impactful artworks. Combined with their unique perspective on the "Get It Girl" theme, each student has used various forms of media to create works that allow an honest and compelling interaction with the audience, individually leaving a distinct resonance and impact with the viewer.
The exhibition opened in Weems Gallery on Nov. 19 and will continue through Dec. 9, open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Please direct any questions or sale inquiries to gallery@meredith.edu.
By Hannah Flood, Staff Writer