By Marianne Luedeman
Photos by Marianne Luedeman
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb University is currently hosting an art exhibition featuring the work of senior art students, Megan Addington, MaryEvelyn Murray, and Isabel Gallimore.
The exhibit, which opened on March 21, 2024, in Tucker Student Center’s Ali Pouryousefi Memorial Gallery, showcases a culmination of the work that the seniors have done during their time at Gardner-Webb.
Artist Megan Addington described her work as being representative of causes she cares about, such as veterans and their treatment once returning home. “My work reflects my values. My grandfather was a soldier, so I have very patriotic roots,” said Addington.
Addington further noted that, as an artist, she likes creating work with materials like charcoal, graphite, and oil over acrylic. She added that she also has a love for realism.
“I see it as a fun challenge to get (my art) close to the real thing or to make the art seem like it’s real,” said Addington.
After she graduates, Addington plans to pursue a master’s degree in art and teach painting and drawing at a university. “I’ve also considered picking up a biology minor (with my master’s degree) and pursuing medical illustration and teaching it,” noted Addington.
Addington ultimately credits her family for the love and support that helped her pursue an art degree at Gardner-Webb. “My mom, my dad, my sister, and my three dogs Bailey, Bently, and Charlie are all my biggest supporters,” Addington said.
Artist MaryEvelyn Murray describes her work as an exploration of her memories and notes that her show “ended up being a retrospective based on the theme of nostalgia.”
“A lot of my pieces end up being memories that I want to capture in a way that feels more emotional and real than a photograph or writing. That’s what the strength of art is to me,” said Murray.
Murray also added that, as an artist, she prefers working diversely across different types of mediums. “My show itself has each wall representing a different medium with sculptures in the middle,” she said.
More than any other medium, however, Murray said that she prefers painting and that “my painting pieces in this show are some of my favorites.”
After getting her bachelor’s degree, Murray plans to pursue a master’s degree in public history with a focus in museum studies. After completing graduate school, Murray stated that she would “love to intern and work at museums and eventually become a museum manager.”
At the show’s reception, Murray gave her thanks to the Gardner-Webb faculty that taught her to express herself through art of many different mediums.
She added that her most recent style, abstract art, was one that she never thought she would create. “I’m so grateful that I was pushed to explore (abstract art) this last semester, because it’s taught me new ways to express myself and to truly find myself,” she said.
Artist Isabel Gallimore described her work as semi-abstract art born from “spontaneous creation.”
“My work starts as something almost incoherent, and as I work, I pull images out of what I’m doing. These images will just pop out so clearly to me, and they all heavily relate to my personal life like my family, past, and strong emotions,” said Gallimore.
She further added that “I embrace the fact that there isn’t a theme, I like when artists do things without limit or restriction.”
Gallimore noted that, in her artistic work, she particularly likes working with painting, mixed media, and collages. She also added that she started focusing on painting this semester “because of the rich color I can get with painting that I can’t get with drawing.”
After graduation, Gallimore hopes to gain experience with art handling and working in galleries.
“I’ll also have the freedom to make what I want. I’m very interested in woodworking, I think that’s where I want to go right away,” added Gallimore.
Gallimore said that her ultimate goal is to own her own studio one day, and that “I would like to expand that studio into the community and work with those around me. I want it to be a space where artists can gather and learn from each other no matter their age.”
She further noted that she has a long way to go as an artist and that she plans to keep learning.
“I had a professor who once told me that you need to learn the rules in order to break the rules. I still have a lot of learning to do, but it’s so worth it to be able to take the rules of art and break them into whatever I want,” she said.
The senior art exhibition will remain on display until April 12, 2024.
For inquiries about the Gardner-Webb University art program, Dr. Kortni Alston Lemon can be reached at [email protected].
Excellent article and photos to promote our talented art students! Bravo!