2023 Senior Art Exhibition

Get To Know All The Seniors at Valdosta State University’s Senior Art Exhibition!

By: Natalie Marshall

“Farrago”, presented by the senior class of the Valdosta State University Department of Art & Design program takes place in the Dedo Maranville Gallery. In this exhibit, 14 seniors put together an exhibit that expressed who they were or something they felt passionate about. It allows the audience to see an assortment of different types of media varying from photography, to sculpture, printmaking, and more.

Laney Havard and the Meaning of Home

By Elizabeth Langford

What is the meaning of “Home”? Is it the house where we grew up in, the family we were born into, or perhaps the people we choose to surround ourselves with? These are questions Laney Havard, a Fine Arts major and senior at Valdosta State University, asks herself as she reflects on what the word means to her. She expresses these mixed emotions and feelings towards the idea of home through her artworks displayed in the 2023 Senior Exhibition. Havard’s multimedia pieces in the Dedo Maranville Gallery highlight her talents in multiple different mediums, and urges the viewer to ask themselves the question “What does home mean to me?”

Lakota Merlot- “Farrago” Senior Profile

by DaShaun Lewis

“I’m not sure what my process is. I kinda just let whatever happens happen. I’m passionate about it because it’s basically a hat my life revolves around at this point.”
Lakota Merlot

Lakota Merlot is an artist hailing from East Coast from Virginia to Key West. They were a hobbyist artist, making paintings and writing short stories before they came to VSU. Across their career, they became less involved with the physical and more into the digital, shifting to more digital-based artwork. One thing that has remained consistent was their love of mental health and horror as subjects. Mental health as a subject has always been around but has become much more prominent as a subject in postmodernism. Horror is more rare because of how deep and visceral it can be, but Lakota takes its darker, grungier aspects and humanizes them in their work. One facet of their personal life has become a leading subject in their work: their transition.

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Olivia Parsons

by Gonzalo Malagon

Olivia Parsons, a senior at Valdosta State University is preparing to showcase her work in the Senior Exhibition. Originally from Mint Hill, North Carolina, Olivia has been around art nearly her entire life. Her mother was a self taught interior designer who made sure to educate her children on art. Early on Olivia fell in love with art and being encouraged by her parents is what ultimately led to her decision to pursue art. She grew up near a farm and spent a lot of time outside, and she became enamored by the beauty of nature. The Impressionist movement is a big inspiration for her as it was the movement that brought importance to the everyday moment, and that is something that Olivia often tries to accomplish with her art. She likes to take a moment that lasts for two seconds and extend it so it can be reflected upon for years. A “painter of moments” as she describes herself, Olivia has chosen six moments to put on display at the Senior Exhibition.

Senior Profile: Javian Williams

by Tevin Jackson

Meet Javian Williams, a creative and talented senior at Valdosta State University who will be graduating in May 2023. Originally from Thomasville, Georgia, Javian relocated to Valdosta to improve his artistic skills and expand his knowledge. During his four years at the university, Javian’s artistic style has undergone significant changes. From recreating cartoons to tackling serious issues, his art has evolved.