by Joseph Mays III
Ta’kesia Parker is a student at Valdosta State University graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Art. Ta’kesia is from Albany, GA where she grew up loving nature and uses it as the theme in most of her work as she enjoys the calmness that is brings. She loves gardening, however pollen makes this difficult, which ultimately makes her go harder with her artwork. Although she tries to focus on the positive things in life, earlier life experiences really shaped the way she approaches her work. As a child, Ta’kesia watched as business owners tore down a massive tree in her community for retail space. This both saddened and enraged Ta’kesia but she was soon able to flip that anger and develop a calm art style.
Upon arriving at Valdosta State University, Ta’kesia began working more with background designs while keeping nature as her center theme. It was also at this time that she grew fond of jewelry making, her medium of choice for the Senior Exhibition.
Box of Butterfly is a 3d piece made up of copper, brass, and silver. It consists of 2 small butterflies enclosed in a circular box. This piece is meant to be a metaphor for when you feel trapped in the loop of everyday life. Ta’kesia described it as a “strong feeling of déjà vu.” The inside of the container is completely empty other than the butterflies, emphasizing the feeling of loneliness. One of the butterflies is gold which represents childhood and the innocence that comes with it. The other butterfly is silver which represents adulthood.
copper, brass, silver
Wilted Flower Pendant is a brass pendant that resembles a wilted flower. Here, Ta’kesia takes a metaphorical approach again, comparing the wilted flower to human life. Both flowers (and all plants for that matter) and thrive while living, but all meet their eventual fate when they die. The piece is a paradox because human life doesn’t last nearly as long as plant life, as trees can live for hundreds of years. As a wearable piece, the pendant is meant to be worn close to the heart in order to hold on to its original beauty.
Ta’kesia’s goals for this exhibition is to show how nature and humans are one in the same. She wishes to bring awareness to the beauty of plants and how pollution can affect it.
Joseph Mays III is a Bachelor of Art Student at Valdosta State University. Joseph’s passion for art and design has grown over the years and he plans to pursue a career in streetwear design.