WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., MAY 4, 2016 — West Liberty University’s Senior Exhibition for Spring 2016 features nine talented student artists: Kevin Childers, Maggie DeHart, Drew Gonchoff, Hannah Judkins, Caleb Kissiah, Rebecca McDowell, Katrina Stewart, Cory Voll and Dalis Wilkerson.
Each student created art and provided a formal artist statement to accompany their work, which is on display through May 5 in the Nutting Gallery.
“Our senior art shows are always interesting and important in many ways. Each of our students shared their own reasons for making art, resulting in a personal and varied artwork. It is an important moment in their life as artists,” said Assistant Professor of Art Robert Villamagna, who is the director of the Nutting Gallery.
Childers, who is from Steubenville, created packaging concepts using his graphic design skills. He choose the popular brewpub, Wheeling Brewing Company and designed a look that was rustic and warm for the new microbrewery located in historic Centre Market.
DeHart’s work also involved package design but in a more personal way, since she created color for her mother’s food business, Momalade. Jelly, peanut brittle and cookies are some of the natural foods her mother makes and sells in Ripley, W.Va., her hometown.
Gonchoff’s work includes a series of acrylic paintings that depict images of life. With a wide variety of colors and themes his canvases offer many interpretations that blend color with energy, nature and a bit of magic. From Moundsville, W.Va. you can visit his website, drewgonchoff.com for more.
Judkins designed a graphic package that included a tourism magazine and more, all around the theme of Rediscover Wheeling. Using fun as her motif, the result is a colorful energized look. She is from South Park, Pa.
Kissiah created startling images using photograph and graphic skills that appear electrified. The colorful images of human figures and faces make a dramatic statement. He is a self-proclaimed photography junkie and maintains a Facebook page for more information.
McDowell, who is from East Liverpool, Ohio, shared her set design project that she premiered in the recent Hilltop Players production of “She Kills Monsters” at Kelly Theatre. An actual arch from the set offered a great visual along with her model, the poster and photographs.
Stewart offered a graphic design look at packaging too, this time for Centre Market Bakery. Her work included marketing materials, posters and a variety of packaging examples that were good enough to eat. Stewart is from Valley Grove, W.Va.
Voll, who is from Marietta, Ohio, created a compelling group of poster art images incorporating his own bold graphic designs of some of his favorite cities in the United States. Clean, modern images represent the cities of Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Gatlinburg, Marietta, Pittsburgh, Portsmouth and Wheeling.
Wilkerson’s work includes a display of glass art that she created including sandblasted glass wall art, colorful paperweights, vases and a catalog type book, dedicated to her father, Fred Wilkerson, a glassworker in Moundsville, W.Va.
The Nutting Gallery is dedicated to educating, enriching and engaging students and the public through art exhibitions of the highest quality and to promoting the visual arts within the WLU community.
The Gallery fulfills this mission through eight exhibitions during the academic year. This exhibition schedule includes five exhibitions by visiting artists, two Senior Exhibitions, and the Annual Art Faculty Exhibition.
The exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, please contact rvillama@westliberty.edu or call 304-336-8370.