“Enchanted Forest Fire” by Raina Belleau takes place in the Dedo Maranville Gallery and brings to attention the climate crisis perpetrated by humans and how it affects every living thing. It allows the audience to experience the chaos unfolding before them when entering the exhibit. She wanted to express how people disregard nature and leave environmental issues on the back burner. There is an assortment of different animal sculptures with a touch of fake characteristics which help emphasize a fantasy feeling for the audience and according to Belleau’s artist statement, she wanted to give off a “Disneyfied version of the debauchery” (Belleau) throughout this exhibit. There are also different wooden boards placed throughout the exhibit that have different nonchalant sayings such as “It’s Fine” or “It’s been worse” which adds to the disregard for the world of nature by humans.
Upon entering the exhibition, “Enchanted Forest Fire” by the artist, Raina Belleau, the viewers are immediately shown a big sign that bears a resemblance to common national park signs that typically indicates the rise in risk of a forest fire. The viewer might assume this will be another innocent exhibit that goes on about the dangers of forest fires or what-not. However, the second you pass the sign, you see the true distress of the exhibition.
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.
“My work is for the people that are a little eccentric,” said Gloria Townsend as she answered questions in preparation to show work in the Valdosta State Senior exhibition. Townsend is graduating from Valdosta State University in 2022. She, along with many other art students, have had the pressure of balancing school life and creating their art. When in a classroom Townsend works at her own pace and world. Often found to be quiet while working with her headphones on; she will still have a friendly conversation with anyone who approaches. Her slight awkwardness is endearing as she is asked what she is working on and asks back the same question with sincerity. Townsend may be shy in person but her art is not. Her interest in horror, fantasy and representation shine through. She identifies as a queer black artist and is inspired by stories, fiction, animation, and providing representation for people like her.
Jenifer Arellano – Mendoza is a student at Valdosta State University that is displaying her work at the In Situ exhibition. Starting her journey in life, the artist grew up in Brunswick, Georgia. The area that Arellano – Mendoza grew up in was not easy, which taught her how to be strong and independent. Growing up in this type of lifestyle made her want to connect more with others, especially minorities. With her parents being immigrants, Mendoza wanted to break the cycle of having things they usually did not have. Her first step in that was being the first person in her family to go to college. So, she used art to express herself and her feelings. Mendoza stated how she used photography as her words when she could not speak for herself. Before college, she was shy and did not know how to express her feelings when a loved one or friend passed, which also resulted in her not creating art. The artist felt as though she had no purpose to make art and no voice in art that helped with these issues. Attending VSU gave her that opportunity to learn more and process things she held back. The school gave her a fresh set of eyes and constructive criticism from her peers to improve as a person and artist.
Throughout the body of graduating seniors, their hometowns range from across the country to around the corner. Register is one of the students that did not have to venture far to find her way to Valdosta State University (VSU). While some students had to look far and wide to find the right art program, Register happened upon VSU while she was in high school in Echols County, Georgia, a mere forty-five-minute drive from Lowndes County. Being from a small town, she was brought up within a culture of traditional Southern views that were based firmly in the Christian (primarily Baptist) belief system.
Upon her arrival at VSU, Register’s work primarily consisted of illustrations in black and white. Through her time studying art and learning new media, Register now includes a wide variety of color schemes and cohesive elements that help draw viewers’ eyes around a composition. In the beginning, Register mentioned that the absence of color in her work came from a place of self-doubt and hesitancy in her own work; throughout her time in the art program, her classes have helped her to experiment with color and gain confidence in her compositional choices. She also now includes printmaking and typography as key elements in her work to help get her messages across more clearly. With her love for printmaking, she can experiment with color more and find which color schemes fit well with each piece.
The Senior Show contains three of Register’s pieces, Molding Me, Woman Enough?, and an illustrated booklet that shows Register’s journey through therapy. Woman Enough? is a textile based mixed media piece that contains many posters, draping fabrics, typography, and an original print. The center of the piece has the words, “AM I FEMININE ENOUGH?”, and the heading of the piece displays the single word, “femininity.” Register explained that each element displayed a different side of gender expression that needs to be talked about or explored. The prints were meant to display some of the biggest insecurities she had while growing up while being told that those things were the only characteristics that made her feminine. Her piece helps challenge the idea that body parts are not the only thing involved in expressing femininity. Although she did not speak about the fabric, they could possibly reference the fashion used by many to express their femininity or hide the body parts that are associated with the idea of being feminine.
The second work, Molding Me, is in the same style, but has a completely different meaning. In Molding Me, Register emphasizes the text and fabric rather than the illustrations. The focal point of the piece are the words, “Every time I see flowers, I think of you;” these words are meant to represent the inspirational figures in Register’s life that have had a huge hand in shaping who she is today: her mom and her grandmother. She chose the phrase “every time I see flowers, I think of you” because both these influential women are gardeners. The two quilts also symbolize the women’s love for sewing that they are currently instilling into Register. This piece normalizes honoring elders and expressing gratitude rather than making a postmodern statement.
Although there are many ways in which Register differs from her mom and grandmother, seeing that homage to her upbringing is still a refreshing take on childhood expression. Last, but certainly not least, is her smallest piece. This untitled piece is a book containing illustrations of her journey through therapy and healing her past trauma. Although small in stature, this work makes the largest statement. During recent times, many people have struggled with mental health issues; seeing someone document their struggles and recovery encourages viewers that have struggled with the same issues by creating a sense of familiarity. By making such a postmodern piece, she is helping to destigmatize the topic of mental health so that everyone will be able to seek help without shame or fear
Raegan Register, Woman Enough?, 2022, Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery, Mixed MediaRaegan Register, Molding Me, 2022, Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery, Mixed Media
DaMea Hughes is a senior at Valdosta State University graduating in May of 2022. She is from a small, country town called Cedartown in Georgia. When asked about the effect of where she’s from on her work, she states, “art really isn’t a big thing there.” She began her college experience as a criminal justice major with art as a hobby. After realizing her passion for art as a career, Hughes changed her major to interior design. However, in the summer of 2021, Hughes couldn’t get enough and changed her major again to strictly focus on her art. Hughes is part of the senior exhibition titled “In Situ”. This is a Latin phrase that translated means, “the original place”. Hughes states that all the seniors have come together during their college career as artists, and created their own original place within the gallery, hence “In Situ”.
The Senior Exhibition is a way to showcase the art from the soon to be graduating seniors. It takes place every semester towards the end in the Dedo Gallery located in the Fine Arts Gallery. The Student Myles Halcomb was the focus of this assignment to discuss his artwork inside the gallery and getting a better understanding of him and his interpretation. Myles Halcomb was born/ raised from Metro Atlanta , Georgia and currently resides in South Georgia. Aiming for a Bachelor of Arts with a focus of Graphic design. Growing up for Myles, Art has always been in his life growing up, he got his inspiration from his grandfather who was a Artist and created artwork as a hobby , which was a big asset to Myles life.
While interviewing Myles he stated that his focus was “To Rebrand the discontinue of Coca Cola, and bring awareness of my own interpretation of Coca Cola”. He plans to use his graphic knowledge to sell the idea and sell his ideas to the higher ups and individuals in charge of the graphic design of the Coca Cola brand to help allow opportunities. “Untitled” a self portrait of Myles Halcomb created in March 2022, with the mediums of Screen-printing, Ink and Printmaking paper was displayed in the Senior show and Myles stated that while creating this artwork he was going through a depression phase and practicing Expressionism with the use of colors , the Red represents Anger and Blue represents Sadness.
The Senior Exhibition is a way to showcase the art from the soon to be graduating seniors. It takes place every semester towards the end in the Dedo Gallery located in the Fine Arts Gallery. The Student Myles Halcomb was the focus of this assignment to discuss his artwork inside the gallery and getting a better understanding of him and his interpretation. Myles Halcomb was born/ raised from Metro Atlanta , Georgia and currently resides in South Georgia. Aiming for a Bachelor of Arts with a focus of Graphic design. Growing up for Myles, Art has always been in his life growing up, he got his inspiration from his grandfather who was a Artist and created artwork as a hobby , which was a big asset to Myles life. While interviewing Myles he stated that his focus was “To Rebrand the discontinue of Coca Cola, and bring awareness of my own interpretation of Coca Cola”. He plans to use his graphic knowledge to sell the idea and sell his ideas to the higher ups and individuals in charge of the graphic design of the Coca Cola brand to help allow opportunities. “Untitled” a self portrait of Myles Halcomb created in March 2022, with the mediums of Screen-printing, Ink and Printmaking paper was displayed in the Senior show and Myles stated that while creating this artwork he was going through a depression phase and practicing Expressionism with the use of colors , the Red represents Anger and Blue represents Sadness. The Artwork was meant to be a realization and coming to terms of letting go of his past emotions. Myles was very influenced by the anime and comic style of art and it connected him in different ways to improve his graphic designs. He included in his Artist Statement “making art let’s me express my full range of emotion.”
Myles Halcomb, Busy Hands, 18×24, Charcoal and Soft pastel, March 2021
With “Busy Hands” his focus was to play with abstraction and get a better understanding of how to play with different contrasts and textures to create variations. He was big on finding different ways to balance his emotions after difficult times he experienced and incorporates the emotions into his artworks. The line works emulate brushstrokes which gives it emotion. Music played a big part in his life and it’s his best way to express his emotions. Being a huge audiophile to different sounds from all over was good to help him improve his craft. With “Untitled” the expressive texture from the black ink layered on top of the red and blue which allows the blank expression on the portrait evoking strong feelings. The Artist Statement also talks more about his influence from his grand father and his mother who pushed him to a place , where he couldn’t even push himself. True art connects us in the never ending story of humanity and that helps inspire other individuals to express themselves in there own way, this helps make art unique. To conclude Myles wants to continue to be an Expressionism artist and interpret his love for music, comics, and anime in his own way to gain the recognition he wants to rebrand popular brands.
Nicholas Grier : Senior Profile, Valdosta State University with a Bachelor in Art, 2022
Taylor Gray is a senior at Valdosta State University, and she is double majoring with a B.A. in Art and a B.F.A. in Art Education. Gray is from Valdosta, Georgia and she first became interested in art when she was in first or second grade. She was always drawing and desired to become better at it, and this continued through elementary and middle school. Gray’s work often displays physical symbols from her childhood, as well as her femininity.
One of the senior participants in the show profile this year is Abigail Brock, an Art major at Valdosta State University, who and will be graduating with her Bachelor of Arts degree. Brock is originally from St. Simons, an island just off the coast of Georgia, fit with sandy stretches like East Beach. Throughout most of her childhood, she was fascinated with nature and art, and upon attending the university, has grown to have a passion for these two subjects. Her artwork certainly portrays her love for nature, filled with detail, an emphasis on interpretation, and unique symbolism.
Throughout the course of Brock’s art career at the university, her performance in art has improved through different areas. She has enjoyed the areas of Graphic Design and Printmaking, where her work is primarily produced in those media. As she explained, “Graphic Design and Printmaking are the two things I really enjoy doing, and they allow me the opportunity to make what I love to make”. Brock’s art style has made a rapid progression through her time at the university, progressing from painting techniques to designing and to printing. She has predominantly worked with Oil and Acrylic paint, India Ink, Drypoint, Relief, and Intaglio. These were the ways that were said to be an “expansion of her foundation”, as she said in the Artist Talk, “allowing for the chance for the anatomy of nature to be expressively seen.” Brock has produced a variety of different works that are fluid in expression and color.
