BFA Thesis Exhibition

I was able to go to one of the BFA thesis exhibition in Gallery 1 in the the Liberal Arts Building for Spring 2011 students. My emotions were mixed about some of the works I viewed. I didn’t get some of the compositions in the walls of the gallery. One in my opinion was terrible. I didn’t get it and I can’t remember the name or the student who did the posters (?). It had the theme of a skeleton one similar to skeleton ornaments found in Mexico for the Day of the Dead  (Día de los Muertos). One of these large posters had this large animated skeletal figure in the foreground. The background was the woods and there was a tent in the woods. I’m not sure if there was this conceptual meaning I was supposed to interpret from that piece. As a whole, the meaning is unclear. I know el Día de los Muertos is about being with family that have passed away and it is celebrated with the whole family. It is meant to remember love ones. One way families do to remember a dead loved one is to give them something they liked when they were living, but for their spirit world. It is a tradition similar to ancient Egyptians idealogy of the afterlife, but it’s a pre-colonial tradition mixed with Catholicism. If I’m supposed to interpret that from that poster, I did not see it.

The ceramics and metal works were interesting, but I liked several pieces one was a bell of a white crochet thread(?) made from the same artists that I can’t remember her name. I was able to read a little about her artist statement and one part I agreed with her. In her artist statement, she explains that crocheting is a dependable fashion that like the leather coat will always be around. It’s true every year in the fashion world someone reintroduces the crotched sweater during the spring and the long leather boots during the fall.

It was interesting visiting the gallery. I was expecting more from the students with two dimensional compositions in the walls. I think I need more than the title, but their artist statement next to their work. It would have helped for me in my case.