In an exhibit that ran from Dec. 4-8, Keene State College students in the Sculpture II and Sculpture III classes were able to showcase their creations in the Carroll House.
Angelique Inchierca / Photo Editor
Filling three rooms with unique pieces of artwork, the sculptors observed as fellow students, facility and some community members marveled at their pieces. As the crowd at the Carroll House amassed, compliments about the sculptors could be heard from all over the exhibit. One specific sculpture that sparked the interest of many observers was a creation by senior Sam Stephenson. The work was made of two televisions surrounded by plants. Stephenson explained that he got the idea from looking at an art organization called St. Heron.
“[St. Heron] had an installation with a bunch of plants and then one single TV in the middle. Then I sort of started looking into the way that plants communicate. Actually, I was sort of thinking, ‘What would plants say to us if they could talk?’ Then I found out that plants do communicate with each other through chemicals.”
Continuing to explain how plants communicate with each other, Stephenson described how the use of the television tied into his concept. “I just wanted to sort of simulate [plant communication] in an environment sort of combining nature with something super man-made, like the TVs.” Although it was not being presented at the time, Stephenson said that one of the televisions was supposed to display a binary code, as well as play a spoken poem. “[The poem is] a direct translation of what the binary code is, so it’s sort of trying to bring together that connection of communication between humans and between plants.”
Angelique Inchierca / Photo Editor
Reporting that Stephenson’s piece was her favorite in the exhibit was junior and art major Rachel Stearns. Although she did not have any pieces on display, Stearns said she took the Sculpture I class last fall. In light of this, Stearns expressed admiration for the challenging tasks that goes into making intricate sculptures. “I know building things is kind of difficult, and just making everything come together and look okay is something that takes a lot of practice.”
In addition to the presentation of sculptures, on Wednesday, the KSC Art Department sponsored an ornament show that ran in Carroll Hall alongside the exhibit.
Students, faculty and staff were all invited to enter the contest with the hope of winning a $50 giftcard to Margaritas, located in downtown Keene. All ornaments entered in the contest were available for the purchase of $5, with proceeds going towards Hundred Nights shelter.
Junior Christopher Mitchell entered his ornament depicting Santa Claus on a spaceship with the jets represented as reindeer. Mitchell explained that when he was stuck on an idea, a phone call to his mom gave him inspiration.
“I called my mom and I was like, ‘Hey, what’s a cheap, cool kind of idea that I could do?’ She said, ‘Do something more modern. Don’t make something more old-school, kind of go out of the box.” From there, Mitchell found himself in the art studio making Santa into an astronaut. Through the organization of the KSC Art Department, campus and community members were able to spend an afternoon observing what the sculpture students have been up to this semester.
Erin McNemar can be contacted at emcnemar@kscequinox.com
