arts/entertainment

PAGE 6 | WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM Juried art show displays high engagement, diversity

Art club leaders Nick Herrington, Jenna Whitlow and Tehya Hinkson (left to right) celebrate this year’s juried art show. (photo courtesy of Jenna Whitlow)

BY SARA PATTERSON

News Editor

The Juried Student Art Show makes its way to the Hammons Art Gallery each spring. This year, the exhibition’s opening day fell on Scholars Day.

Among the range of disciplines the day lent itself to, the juried art show attracted many students, faculty, staff and visitors throughout the day. The exhibit will be up for the remainder of the spring semester and into the fall semester, giving students plenty of time to earn Arts Engagement Credit and to enjoy the pieces.

Months of work are required to produce a successful juried art show. Senior studio art major Jenna Whitlow served in leading the production of the show this year by bringing in an alumni juror and physically arranging the exhibit.

Alumna Emily Woods choose what art pieces would be exhibited. Once the pieces were chosen, the accepted artists were instructed to frame their artwork and bring it back in a couple of weeks. Then, juried art show chairs would handle display, design and set-up.

Nick Herrington, studio art and history double major, serves as a chair for the juried art show and was involved in the set-up process.

“It was mine and Jenna’s job to create labels and place pieces and just get it all set up and ready for the reception,” Herrington said.

Tehya Hinkson, studio art and education double major, serves as president of the OBU Art Club and was willing to lend a helping hand wherever it was necessary, including repainting and respackling the walls in the gallery. However, Hinkson’s favorite part of the show was witnessing people engage with the art more closely than she might have expected.

“It was so cool to see so many people walking around and talking about pieces and actually reading labels,” Hinkson said.

Hinkson also appreciates the juror’s discernment in choosing which pieces to feature this year. By going out of her comfort zone, Woods was able to curate a show that featured the full spectrum of art at Ouachita.

“A lot of times, whoever jurors chooses pieces that favor their style. Subconsciously, that’s what you tend to go toward,” Hinkson said. “But this year, the lady who jurored did such a great job of picking diverse pieces. We had pottery, we had drawings, we had paintings, we had an animation! The diversity and being able to see all aspects of art was definitely my favorite part.”

The show features diverse art works that reflect the community in the art department. It also shows how important art is in helping connect students in the department.

“It’s just so supportive and so involved with each other which I really appreciate. Since we all share this passion of art, it helps you be more connected,” Hinkson said. “The people in the art department really strive to be engaged. I just love that community engagement that we get to have here.”

“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” worthy addition to MCU

BY WYATT ASHLOCK

Staff Writer

Marvel Studios released “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” in March 2021 as a mini-series created by writer Malcolm Spellman. Following the events of “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), Sam Wilson/ The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastain Stan) are trying to find their place in a post-blip world.

In the series, Barnes is trying to make amends for his actions as The Winter Soldier, while Wilson struggles to decide whether or not to accept his role as the next Captain America. Wilson gives Captain America’s shield to the Smithsonian to pay tribute to Steve Rogers and is stunned when the U.S. government names U.S. soldier John Walker (Wyatt Russell) the new Captain America. When a terrorist group called the Flag-Smashers, run by Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman), begins using more radical tactics, Barnes and Wilson must reunite to stop them in “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” (2021).

This show plays as Marvel’s love letter to traditional buddycop films. The hilarious chemistry between Stan and Mackie is even better this time around, as it shows elements of friendship and competition. While neither of these characters have had an opportunity to carry an individual story themselves, this series shows that they are more than compelling enough to do so. The character development for Barnes and Wilson is some of the best writing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The plot of this show is equally compelling. Morgenthau is a sympathetic antagonist, while Walker demonstrates that character is just as important as strength when it comes to superheroes. The show does not shy away from issues of race, instead embracing it as a central theme in the plot. Wilson struggles with accepting the mantle of Captain America because he is afraid that America is not ready for a Black man to carry the shield. The show also examines what it means to be a hero on a personal level. Walker struggles in the huge shoes that Rogers left to be filled, and he consistently demonstrates that not just anyone can be a hero.

“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” is an excellent mini-series, rivaling “WandaVision” (2021) for the best recent Marvel series. Though their tones are drastically different, they both have a lot to offer to die-hard Marvel fans. Both have powerful messages about problems going on in today’s society.

While “WandaVision’’ focuses more on mental health issues and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” focuses on race and veteran PTSD issues, they both are unified in their stunning ability to suprise the audience with their honesty.

This show is a powerful addition to phase four of the MCU, proving that even after 10 years, the Marvel Universe is still going strong. I loved each and every episode of this show. The show’s messages are important even for us nonsuperheroes to consider. While it got off to a slow start, the pace has increased and has not slowed down since. The entire series is available to stream now on Disney+. I rate it a 5 out of 5 Tiger Paws.