Colby-Sawyer College to Feature Student Work at Annual Senior Art Exhibition
NEW LONDON, N.H. – Colby-Sawyer College's Fine and Performing Arts Department will host the annual Senior Art Exhibition, which showcases graduating students' best work in graphic design, ceramics, painting, printmaking, sculpture and photography.
This year's featured art from Graphic Design and Studio Art majors demonstrates the growth, skill and professionalism the students have developed while studying at Colby-Sawyer. The opening reception will include the presentation of both purchase and merit awards such as the Presidential Purchase and Susan C. Harp Memorial Purchase.
The Senior Art Exhibition opening reception will take place on Thursday, April 21, at the Marian Graves Mugar Art Gallery in the Sawyer Fine and Performing Arts Center from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission to the reception and gallery is free and the public is invited to attend. Following the opening, the exhibition will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will close on Saturday, May 7.
The Senior Art Exhibition will feature work from Samantha Castonguay, Stefan Didrichsen, Julie Rae Doherty, Danielle Finocchiaro, Ian Gaughan, Lelia Brooke Lackey, Kelsie Lee, Matthew Lohmann, Mark Pederson, Alyssa Sarno, Chloë Sempere, Evan Shaw, Megan Sievert and Caitlin Thornton. Their featured works are representative not only of their development as artists, but also of their unique experiences as art students at Colby-Sawyer College. The student artists have summarized their art education with words like “experimental,” “personalized” and “invaluable,” and cite the enthusiasm and talent of the Fine and Performing Arts faculty as the driving force behind their artistic growth.
Samantha Castonguay of Hinesburg, Vt., is a Studio Arts major with a concentration in painting. She came to Colby-Sawyer as an Art Education major, but decided to focus on developing her painting and defining herself as an artist. Castonguay explains, “I began to develop my own style through experimentation, as well as replication of historical works and understood what it meant to be my own artist.” Castonguay's featured paintings in the Senior Art Exhibition reflect her personal interests and the inspiration she draws from nature. She plans to pursue a teaching career in arts therapy and is enthusiastic about exploring the ways in which psychology, art and education can be woven together.
Alyssa Sarno of Ashland, Mass., wanted to combine her life-long passion for art and her desire to reach a variety of people by majoring in Graphic Design. Sarno's journey as an art student lead her to explore color and various methods for combining computer work with other media. The work she will exhibit includes some of her more recent creations, some of which took an entire semester to complete. “They are my strongest pieces, because they are the projects I was most interested and invested in,” Sarno says.
Ceramics major Julie Rae Doherty came to Colby-Sawyer as a sophomore transfer student who knew that clay was the medium for her. For Doherty, the experimental nature of ceramics makes every project exciting and unpredictable. She explains, “I love that I never get bored, because I can throw, glaze, trim, load the kiln, make a glaze and so many other things. I love the challenge of controlling the clay and the uncertainty of the final product.” After graduating from Colby-Sawyer, Doherty will move to Florida to help with the production line at a ceramics studio and gallery. Her work in the Senior Art Exhibition includes functional pieces that are clean and classic, as well as creations that incorporate rope, fabric, beads and wire.
To learn about other upcoming events at Colby-Sawyer College visit www.colby-sawyer.edu/events.
Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts and sciences college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Students learn in small classes through a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with professional experience.
Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000
