ROCK ISLAND, IL (04/29/2011)(readMedia)-- Eight graduating studio artists will present their artwork on Tuesday, May 10, at 10:30 a.m. in the Augustana Art Museum in the lobby of Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.) The free and public 50-minute program will include a "walking tour" of the exhibition, conversation with the artists and a reception.
All studio art majors complete a final senior project that is displayed in the Augustana Art Museum. This year, the students' work will be on display from May 7-16 and May 20-21. The museum is free and open to the public from noon-4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. The exhibit this year features several local students.
Audrey Waner from Davenport, Iowa, is majoring in art with minors in art history and graphic design. She will display works in 2D and 3D that explore different life stages. She has enjoyed working with a variety of mediums and has always been interested in interplay between childhood and adulthood.
"The senior studio art exhibition could not be a better culmination of my time as an artist at Augustana," Waner said. "I've learned what goes into a professional body of work and its exhibition, and I am more dedicated to my own work than ever."
In addition to studying art, she works on the SAGA Art and Literary Magazine and is involved in the Asian Student Organization and the Web Authors Guild. She intends to pursue a career in graphic design.
Gina Jarrell from Davenport, Iowa, is majoring in art with a minor in art history. Her project is called "A Visual Rondeau of the Imaginary Consciousness." She did a series of fantasy images on vellum that incorporate scenery from East Asia.
Jarrell spent ten weeks in East Asia in the fall as part of an international study program. She kept a journal of sketches as she traveled, which she used as the basis for her project. "I am excited to see people's reactions to my series," she said.
Jarrell is involved in the Asian Student Organization and the Jenny Lind vocal ensemble. Next year, she is moving to New York City to become a graphic novelist/illustrator.
Anita Cook from Davenport, Iowa, is majoring in art with an emphasis in ceramics. Her series is a collection of relief masks depicting various emotions. Her goal is to display the emotional diversity that can be observed in real life.
"My work is a reflection of my personal journey with bipolar disorder," she said. "I want my work to encourage viewers to reflect and meditate on how emotions have played a role in their lives."
Cook works as a licensed massage therapist and sings in the Augustana Choir and the Quad City Choral Arts. She and her husband Patrick will celebrate their second wedding anniversary in May.
Sherry Maurer, director of the Augustana Art Museum, says that the senior project is designed to challenge and encourage student artists. "The capstone project allows students to demonstrate the skills they've developed at Augustana, but also to reflect on the value of their work to the common good," she said. "This process also increases awareness of professional exhibition practices."
About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college enrolls 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers more than 70 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 287 faculty members and has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.
