Rebecca Marsh
Equinox Staff
There is personality in every art piece. Through the various shapes, colors, sizes, and lighting–each piece is emphasized its own meaning which is derived from each and every personality in the room. The Carroll House will showcase the sculptures of the students in the Sculpture II class. Associate Professor of Art Lynn Richardson oversaw the projects of the 12 students in the class. The sculptures went on display on Feb. 1 and will be in The Carroll House until Feb. 23.
“They all had worked really hard on their projects, but also there was this big diversity in the media that they were using,” Richardson said, “It’s all different.” According to Richardson, the gallery was split into sections. “It just seemed like it was a good show to put together because everything worked into those three sections,” Richardson said. “It’s the first time I’ve done a student show over there,” Richardson said about the show at the Carroll House. “That is the best thing about the Carroll House Gallery,” Richardson said, “because it gives these students an opportunity before their final year, when they have to showcase all their work in the Thorne (the Thorne Art Gallery), it gives them the opportunity to understand how to install a show, how to light their work, and how to network with other people.”
According to Richardson, “The Carroll House is really just dedicated to showing student work and then showing artists that we can invite, small, solo shows.” The Thorne Art Gallery does not allow solo artist shows, according to Richardson.
Senior Ryan Fay is a Studio Art and Elementary Education major. His sculpture included many keys hanging from a scaffolding. This was made from plastic, silicone molding, and fish wire, according to Fay, with some welding to hold things together. Fay said that his piece “symbolizes thought processes and chaos coming together.”
Fay said, “This was my first time sculpting with plastic. I’ve never done anything like this.” According to Fay, he has mostly sculpted with clay before this piece. Fay said that he had taken a couple of sculpting classes in high school and that was when he discovered his passion for sculpting. “Over the years I’ve learned I like sculpting in the third dimension,” Fay said.
According to Fay, his favorite part about his piece is the how the light shines on it. “I really enjoy the shadows cast off of the piece,” Fay said. Chelsea I’anson, a senior going for a degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Studio Art, also has a piece presented in the Carroll House. I’anson said that her project was to create a piece of art from parts of a bike. She created a fly from those parts. “I originally had a different idea, but it wasn’t going to work for the materials I was supposed to use so I had to change what I was doing,” I’anson said.
I’anson began college as an education major and said she didn’t like it. She said she found an interest in sculpting when she took the Sculpture I class. “Most of the pieces that I’ve done have been just ceramics or painting so I got to use a bunch of different materials for this which was exciting,” I’Anson said. “I used to volunteer at the Carroll House so it’s kind of exciting to have one of my things in there too,” I’anson said. She also stated that she was “proud” of the end result of her piece.
Senior Rachel Benson is a studio art major with a technical theater minor. She created the ladder piece that is showcased in the Carroll House. Benson described it as “a bunch of ladders all pieced together.”
The project Benson chose included choosing an object that was meaningful to her or an inspiration to her. “I chose to do ladders because I thought of growing, learning, and improving,” Benson said. According to Benson, she welded some parts together, as well as used wooden dowels and plastic molds. Benson said she has sculpted for about four years. She said she is currently sculpting for the upcoming production of “The Tempest.” “I’m kind of getting more interested in props for theater which is still sculpture,” Benson said.
“I like to use lots of little objects and put them together, and I think that’s what makes it different from a lot of the other pieces there [the Carroll House],” Benson said. Benson said she thinks seeing her piece presented in the Carroll House is nice.
Senior Dillon Simpson is an English literature major and minoring in art. His sculpture is an Apple computer charger coated with plastic to make it look like a branch with leaves on it. “Sculpture is just my passion. I’ve studied it, but I like to do it on my own time, rather than be taught,” Simpson said.
His piece is called “RE-ST-ORE,” which stands for “reduce, destroy, ignore,” Simpson said, “At first I was just experimenting with the plastic, seeing how thin I could get it to go.” According to Simpson, “It’s a far attempt to try to get people to realize just how hypocritical the world can be and the dangers of technology and electronics.” He continued, “People aren’t able to appreciate natural beauty as much as they should, I think.” Simpson said, he also chose the personal totem project and picked the branch as his inspiration. “For that project we started with working with plastic and she wanted us to make a piece that had multiple casts of our mold,” Simpson said, “They have the circuitry on the leaf just like the veins on a leaf.”
Simpson said he likes seeing his piece on display at the Carroll House. According to Simpson, “People should check into the Carroll House if they can.” Emel Saat, a freshman at KSC, referred to the gallery as “interesting.” Saat said, “I think it’s really cool and it gives them an opportunity to show their work.”
“I think they’re really excited and proud about the work,” Professor Richardson said, “I think it’s a great experience for the students.” Simpson added that, “Just because you’re not an art major doesn’t mean you can’t do art, and just because you are an artist, doesn’t mean you are better at art.”
Rebecca Marsh can be contacted
rmarsh@keene-equinox.com