2021 Senior Art – Art Criticism

2021 VSU Senior Showcase Review

By Jessica Smidley

The “Living in Color” exhibition features 20 art students graduating from Valdosta State University with the idea of exploring the use of art as communication. The exhibition contains a wide variety of mediums and art styles supporting the individual talents of each graduate. The graduates are diverse in background and personality that signifies the uniqueness of Valdosta State University students. The introduction notes, “Our title ‘Living in Color” represents each one of us as individuals and unique artists, and although these colors are different, we still can find the allure in them” (Dedo Maranville). The “Living in Color” exhibition gives these artists an opportunity to show their favorite and most representative works to show the range and depth their artist have developed.

Spring 2021 Senior Exhibition: Say Their Names

By: Lindsay Sebastian

The summer of 2020 had been the moment society witnessed with their own eyes the injustice of police brutality faced by the Black community, which would ignite civil unrest and protests that are still ongoing. Even when the summer of 2020 had come and gone, it marked the start of transforming the age-old discussion of what could be done to end the injustice into protests for immediate changes within the police departments. When speaking with Nalla Roberts, one of the twenty featured artists in this year’s senior exhibition “Living in Color” on VSU’s Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery webpage, as well as looking through her works featured within the exhibition, it was made clear that the fight for justice and equality was not and would not be over for her. Growing up between the northern states of Maryland and Virginia and the southern state of Georgia, Roberts was taught to love herself as a Black woman. In my interview with Roberts, she stated, “I make work inspired by Black people because Black people are legally discriminated against for a large part of their identity and self-care”.

A Feminist’s Perspective

By Javian Williams

On April 7, Jennifer Steltenpohl, a senior art student at Valdosta State University, sat down and was conducting an interview with me on her exhibition. Miss Steltenpohl indulges in many forms of art like traditional drawing, printmaking, and watercolor. In addition, Steltenpohl gave me a glimpse into her life and moral values. She informs me earlier on that she is a local resident of Valdosta, Georgia. Moreover, Steltenpohl clarifies that she is pansexual, a characteristic that she tries to incorporate in her art, along with mental health awareness and reproductive rights. According to her artist bio, she has veteran experience with art exhibitions, as she had one of her sculptures titled Childlike Wonder entered in Valdosta State University’s Fall 2019 exhibition “From The Ground Up: Art & Design Foundations.” These factors have all played an important role in her preparation for becoming an art teacher. She has done a few acts for this career including tutoring art for an elementary school kid and spending last summer “as an assistant teacher for Horizons at Georgia Tech in their virtual summer program” (Valdosta State Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery, 2021).

Family Ties

By Avery Barnett

“My body of work is about establishing family ties. All of my photographs are from Maine, which is an important place to my family and I.”
Hannah Wynn

Hannah Wynn has spent her time at Valdosta State University broadening her horizons while also maintaining a deep connection to her familial roots. As she graduates with the VSU Class of 2021, her photographic exploration of growth and bond left a lasting impact on the Spring 2021 Senior Art Exhibition, titled “Living in Color.”

An Artistic Journey

By Jenni Steltenpohl

As a fellow artist and graduating senior, I felt great ease and enjoyment interviewing my classmate Hilman Alexander Walden. During our interview, we had a long and interesting conversation about himself, his artwork, and his experience as an art student. Walden is a local art student at Valdosta State University who will be graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art. Walden’s senior exhibition “Living in Color” is the Spring 2021 graduating seniors’ final show as students at Valdosta State University.

Spring 2021 Senior Exhibition: The Diversity of “Living in Color”

Maria Carbonell

The Department of Art and Design of Valdosta State University is presenting the Spring 2021 Senior Exhibition at the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery, “as the semester comes to a close, 20 art students graduating from VSU have worked together to create the digital gallery show ‘Living inColor’” (VSU Gallery).