WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Dec. 6, 2018 — West Liberty University’s Senior Exhibition this December features five senior student artists: Mimi Albon, Emily Artimez, Matt Layton, Shelby Moore and Isabella Pozell.
The artwork represents the students’ capstone projects and is for class credit. Each student came up with a concept, created art and designs and provided a formal artist statement to accompany their work, which is on display through Dec. 13 in the Nutting Gallery.
“Our senior art shows provide the opportunity for our students to focus their energies on a unique capstone experience. The public display of the work is a highlight for our art majors” said Jim Haizlett, who is the professor in charge of the Senior Exhibition class.
Mimi Albon, Martinsburg, W.Va., created and painted a mural in the entrance of Shotwell Hall, the new location of the International Student Center for her capstone project. Her colorful design incorporates polka dots and waves to represent different climates and show mountains along with other land and water formations.
“My message was meant to help people change their perspective or global view and to see the world as a one planet, a place that is the residence of humans, rather than a collection of different people and countries. To see it as a landscape rather than different countries,” she explained. Acrylic was her medium and she worked for several months completing her design.
Emily Artimez, Moundsville, W.Va., created branding and packaging for a company called Rachel’s Lab.
“One of the reasons I chose to help brand Rachel’s company is because she is my friend and she didn’t have a brand for her small business of handmade soap and natural beauty products,” she said. “I chose to go with a modern, clean-cut design to help it stand out from other homemade soap companies.”
She created packaging and a booklet with an info-graphic to illustrate the products.
Matt Layton, Dallas, W.Va., created packaging and point of purchase display designs and materials for a made-up company, he calls Mike’s Country Jerky. Layton tried to stay away from typical rural stereotyping and came up with a clean, modern design for the jerky brand, using red, green, blue and orange.
“My small town lifestyle has influenced me not only as an artist but also as a person,” he notes, adding, “The way of life in my area rarely leads to getting a college education and even less with wanting to be a graphic designer. I am very proud of how far I have come since I began college.”
Shelby Moore, Martins Ferry, Ohio, created an imaginative branding design for the WLU music program and the Marching Hilltoppers.
Moore worked directly with the WLU Music Department to develop visuals to highlight their program and relied on brand colors but created her own design elements.
Isabella Pozell, Glen Dale, W.Va., went back to her roots for her design work.
“As the granddaughter of Italian immigrants who came to the United States in the 1960s, my heritage has played an integral part of my life. In the summer of 2017, I had the opportunity to visit Sicily to reconnect with relatives and immerse myself in the Sicilian way of life for five weeks.”
The project included establishing a brand identity, packaging, promotional pamphlet and display for her Isola jewelry line of handcrafted jewelry that she began to make after her visit to Sicily. The designs were based on symbols and patterns found in traditional Sicilian folk art.
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 a variety of exhibitions during the academic year 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 304.336.8006.