News and Events

Washington College Department of Art and Art History's 2009 Student Art Exhibition, "Environments, Archetypes and Images of Trauma"

April 16, 2009

The Washington College Department of Art and Art History's 2009 Student Art Exhibition, "Environments, Archetypes and Images of Trauma," at the Constance Stuart Larrabee Arts Center highlighted Senior Capstone Experiences by graduating art majors Aliina Lahti, Corinne Saul, and Maria Taylor. Also displayed were works by both advanced and beginning students of various studio divisions such as photography, drawing, ceramics, video art, painting, and design.

"Three large-scale multimedia installations included in the 2009 Senior Capstone Experience Exhibition explore issues ranging from the disappearance of natural environments, to medical alteration of identity, to meditation on our growing exposure and indifference to images of traumatic events," said Assistant Professor of Studio Art Monika Weiss, who curated the exhibition. "Although each installation was created with a specific conceptual focus, the works in the exhibition share an aesthetic approach that favors delicacy and attention to the small, the humble and the poetic, while tackling the ethical."

Click to enlarge photos by Thor Deegan '10.

"Side Effects May Include...," a photographic and sculptural installation by Cori Saul '09 examines society's obsession with medications, specifically antidepressants and their role in reinventing, altering and damaging personal identity. Positioned close to the floor level and displayed as one long line, the 20 black and white photographs of Saul's face represent the artist holding a mask. Saul's self-shot photographs present various stages of blending or merging her real face with the artificial contours of the mask. "The installation examines the emotions hidden behind antidepressants and the mesh of reality and non-reality of the mask," Saul noted, adding that her work hopefully "challenges viewers to re-examine their own lives and what masks they use in day-to-day life."

Maria Taylor '09 stands with her Senior Capstone Experience, "Fragments," a collection composed of 36 different charcoal and pencil drawings, offering extreme close-ups from selected images currently found in American newspapers depicting events in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and South Korea. The result is an exploration of how everyday news depicts suffering. "By replicating images of trauma and suffering shown by the press and in the media, my project focuses on the act of exploiting the victims of tragic events as figures in elegant photographs," Taylor explained. Her goal is to de-construct this aesthetic-yet-distancing approach to the suffering of others in faraway corners of the globe. "Perhaps empathy begins with taking a closer look."

Audiences admire the hard work of this year's graduating seniors.

Students take in the artwork at Larrabee Arts Center during the 2009 Art Exhibition.

Darby Hewes stands with three of her works on display at the Art Exhibition. Clockwise from left: "Crtical Boundary," "Fractured Entanglement," and "Periphery Enticement."

Darby Hewes stands with three of her works on display at the exhibition. Clockwise from left: "Crtical Boundary," "Fractured Entanglement," and "Periphery Enticement."

Katie E. Poore '09 admires some of the work done by fellow students in her Fundamentals of Visual Design course, taught by Professor Alex Castro.

Katie E. Poore '09 admires some of the work done by fellow students in her Fundamentals of Visual Design course, taught by Lecturer in Art Alex Castro.