Oversized paintings and a multi-media installation are sharing space in the Fine Arts Center Gallery April 21 – May 1. “Foreshadows of Forefathers” by Jason C. Barnes and “television will save us all” by Shane Richey are the two MFA Thesis exhibitions, which – despite their different formats — share a sense of irony and wry political commentary.
Barnes’ intricate ink, watercolor and pencil works on paper feature icons from American History, such as George Washington crossing the Delaware and The Alamo, albeit in a rather irreverant context. The densely-packed backgrounds of the paintings are testimony to Jason Barnes’ drawing skills and the time dedicated to producing a unique body of work for his Thesis Exhibition.
Shane Richey has taken his visual design talents and mastery of electronic technology art to a new level with a multi-television/sound/computer-generated installation. Richey’s not-so-subtle play on the title of his exhibition is revealed to the viewer, who is mesmerized by the media forces that control so much of our society.
A reception for the artists will be held on Saturday, April 26 from 6 – 8 pm.
Graduating senior art student, Lyla Morrision, is exhibiting her BFA Honors Thesis project in the hallway display cases of the Fine Arts Center April 16 – 23. “Seeing Red: An Artist’s Study of the Visuality of Emotions” is the title of Morrison’s exhibition, which examines the relationships between colors and the emotions associated with them. “Green Envy” and “Orange Lust” are two of the nine oversized posters representing the colors and emotions, which also demonstrate the artist’s proficiency in graphic design.
Lyla Morrison is the third BFA candidate whose Honors Thesis has been presented this spring, following Katherine Lamar (photography) and Mary E. Price (ceramics) who both exhibited their work in the Anne Kittrell Gallery in the Arkansas Union.
Prints and paintings by Donald Harington, University of Arkansas Distinguished Professor of Art History, are currently on exhibit in the hallway cases of the Fine Arts Center. A selection of Harington’s novels are also included in the display, which honors Harington upon the announcement of his retirement at the end of the spring semester.
Donald Harington graduated from the University of Arkansas with a BA in Art in 1956 and completed his MFA at the University in 1959. The artwork on exhibit is from his years as a student in the Art Department. Harington went on to earn an MA in Art History and taught in New York, Vermont and Missouri before returning to his alma mater in 1986.
The artwork on exhibit is on loan from the artist and the corporate art collection of Tyson Foods, Inc. The exhibition will continue through April 11.