The 2024 KSC Art and Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition opened alongside ceramists Sanam Emami and Del Harrow’s “The Surfaces of Surfaces” exhibition on Thursday, Feb. 8 at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery.
The faculty exhibition showcases the artistic works of Keene State College faculty members every two years. Both exhibitions will be displayed at the Thorne until March 30. The opening reception of the exhibitions lasted from 4 to 6 p.m.
Emami and Harrow, who are married to each other, are based out of Colorado. Emami said her work, which was pottery-based, is meant to be equal parts decorative and functional. Functionality is an important element of her work.
“A lot of that comes from histories and cultures from the Silk Road,” Emami said. “The colors and patterns come from a blend of Eastern and Western Asian cultures. They’re abstractions and not meant to be literal, but they’re inspirationally pulled from those cultural sources of inspiration.”
Harrow cited the relationship between an object and the space it occupies as a thematic element of his artwork.
“I think of it as a metaphor for the body,” Harrow said. “We think of our bodies as a vessel. We have a skin, or a surface to our being, and what is and isn’t us. But that boundary is constantly being shaped and transformed as life moves forward. My sculptures try to mirror that transformative relationship with the self in how they create functional space but also occupy that space through curves and openings and turns.”
Art and Design Professor Miles Warner displayed a selection of works that contribute to his long standing artistic series that centers around Chad Bentley, a fictional character created by Warner in 2006.
“This work on the timeline is all about when Chad was the creative director for Gucci, and about timelessness,” Warner said. “It’s about what that aesthetic would look like, and an unlikely assortment of those pairings that speak to timelessness.”
Warner continued, “Chad Bentley is this character I created, who’s sort of a swanky billionaire. We go way back. He started out as this infomercial personality, and then his story transitioned into a commentary on the absurdity of the celebrity.”
Now, Warner said he wants to explore different points on the character’s timeline.
“He’s the foundation for my work,” Warner said. “It always changes and it’s always fun, but Chad is a safe foundation for how I want to enter new works I want to explore.”
Paul McMullan, art professor and faculty coordinator of the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, is one of the 12 faculty members displaying original works of art. McMullan had a variety of artistic pieces on display, including both ceramic and print-based works.
McMullan’s creations are inspired by personal elements of his life.
“My stuff’s kind of personal. To me, life is layers and layers and layers. These pieces are a way I can get things out there,” McMullan said. “One of my pieces was inspired by struggle: Life, jobs, things being difficult, confusion; that’s what really went into making it. I hope other people can see my pieces, have it resonate with them and attribute their own interpretations.”
Jacob Olson, a first-year, attended the event and said, “The colors really showcase the character of certain pieces. One of the statues by Paul McMullan really stood out to me, especially the contrast with the red and black. I’m a film major, and the physical art here can be connected to film in terms of visual art.”
First-year Preston Dunlop attended the event after hearing professors who inspired him would be showcasing their work.
“I love art and graphic design, and that grabbed my attention. It was worth coming out for, and I was impressed by the works I saw,” Dunlop said. “The graphite studies really stood out to me. That’s my preferred medium, and the pottery stood out to me as well.”
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
