Gray Area Mag: Spring 2022

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2 Spring

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CONTENTS 01 Table of Contents

09 PSYKHE 13 On Modeling 15 Shoes of Conn 23 Grunge Fashion

SPRING 2022

COLLECTION

03 Fosnot Art Gallery

25 Oscars 30 Acknowledgments

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GRAY AREA MAG

THE FOSNOT ART GALLERY An ode to the former hidden gem of downtown New London

WRITTEN BY KENDRICK HAWKINS When it came time to pick a spot for Gray Area's next photoshoot of the year, I knew it had to be inside The Catherine

Fosnot

Art

Gallery

and

Center. Located inside Harris Place (its atrium pictured on the right), the Fosnot Gallery holds a special place in my heart. I was the assistant to the owner, Cathy Fosnot, since September of 2020 up until a few weeks ago when she had close the physical space.

Luckily,

GAM

captured

the

secret

beauty of the gallery and the building it was in to prove the enormous potential New London holds.

Harris Place Atrium, 165 State Street New London, CT 06320

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As a premier contemporary art gallery in New London, CT, the Fosnot Gallery promoted and showcased the work of a variety of artists. Situated between Boston and New York, it provided the work of new and emerging artists alongside

classic,

well-established

pieces. The gallery provided a space that facilitated a network for local and nonlocal artists. The space was used to encourage

and

foster

connections

within the New London community and beyond.

Fred Gutzeit. Tree, Field, and Minnows, 1966.

Oil on canvas.

At

the

time

of

this

shoot,

a

retrospective of artist Fred Gutzeit's work from 1966 to 2021 was on display. Unfortunately, he passed away in January. Gutzeit was an incredible artist living in NYC who had been painting and drawing since he was in his teens. I was lucky enough to be a part of the curatorial process for this show. Gutzeit had me at his studio in the Bowery where I saw his vast collection of pieces. The gallery ended up

consigning

50

paintings

and

drawings for the retrospective as well as hundreds of prints.

Fred Gutzeit. Lacoste Oak No. 2, 1984.

Watercolor and ink on paper.

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The show aimed to capture Gutzeit's many stages of his work over a 55-year span. From early detailed landscapes to wild, vibrating, folded spaces, the exhibition spoke to the artist's search for pattern and structure. “All my life,” Gutzeit explained, “I’ve worked to see 'form' as poetry in my 'findings'."

Fred Gutzeit was never satisfied with capturing the realism we “see“ in nature. He continually sought a realism through abstraction to capture the hidden complexity of nature. Using contemporary physics models and

speculation

about

“multiverses,”

Gutzeit

presented us with new visions of space, interaction, and human identity. His use of color and dimensionality are bold and wondrous, providing us with images of deep nature unfolding in space/time.

Fred Gutzeit. Barbara's Falls, 1999. Acrylic on canvas.

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Fred Gutzeit. Otter Falls No. 24 and 25 Binary (Matter and Antimatter), 2007.

Acrylic on paper on two canvases.

Serving as Cathy Fosnot's assistant for almost two years gave me an entirely enhanced appreciation for art and the necessity of it across all towns, no matter how small. The experiences I had throughout my time working in the gallery are ones that will shape my entire future.

From meeting artists like Fred Gutzeit to curating entire shows with my boss (and mentor), I came away with more knowledge than I could have hoped to gain in all my time at college.

Although the Fosnot Art Gallery may no longer hold its spot at 165 State Street, its former presence will continue to be felt and remembered. The connections that were made because of the gallery's existence will continue to grow as time goes on.

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PSYKHE

By Heather Evered

Is your personality really that evident by the way you dress? Online clothes retailer PSYKHE seems to think so.

Perhaps

people

who

wear

bolder

colors are more outgoing, those who wear

athleisure

more

laidback,

or

those who wear prints more creative.

While these are stereotypes off the top of my head, PSYKHE claims to have gotten fashion down to a science based on your individual personality traits.

If you have taken PSY 100 during your college

career,

familiar

with

you what

are

probably behavioral

psychology refers to as the “Big 5.”

These traits are said to be the main basis of one’s personality and consist of

openness,

extroversion,

conscientiousness, agreeableness,

and

neuroticism. Based on these traits, PSYKHE claims to find clothing that is the most “you.”

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"You wear what you are"

The process starts with a three-minute personality test that concludes with your own personal “personality code.” From here, you can view how you scored on each scale, your best clothing matches, and even descriptions about yourself. PSYKHE encourages you to go through and rate your clothing matches so they can get a better understanding of your style, but in my experience, I was a big fan of what they had suggested. PSYKHE can also alter these suggestions based on any given mood or occasion. Many of the mood suggested items are centered around theories of color psychology, allowing you to reflect your mood in your everyday looks.

"Discover why you wear what you wear"

Aside from individual fashion, PSYKHE also applies their model to

businesses.

Based

on

the

desired customer of a store, PSYKHE will ensure that clothing recommendations fit that profile based

on

demographics

and

perceived personality.

Will

this

Definitely

work not,

for

everyone? but

the

psychology major in me had to try it first-hand. Overall, I would suggest giving it a try! If nothing else, it is always fun to see how your results turn out and vary from your friends.

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Modeling Perspective

Written By Ella Rudisill I am by no means someone who feels comfortable in front of a camera. Growing up in the age of Instagram, where one presents their life through a curated series of portraits, I’ve always been haunted by the notion that I, inevitably, don’t photograph well. Going into the Fosnot Gallery shoot, I had this idea lodged in the back of my mind. I asked myself what would happen if the angle of my head or the way I unnaturally placed my hands became the ruin of hours of photographers' careful work. However, when I arrived at the gallery, my busy mind was calm. I realized that as a model, I was not the centerpiece or focal point of the shoot. Instead, I was a background character in a story told by the paintings. Models moved from piece to piece, first admiring and then doing their best to accentuate the bold colors and patterns within each canvas. We based our movements and attitudes on the personality of the art, and because of this, I felt relaxed and dynamic while modeling.

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Shoes of Conn Students

Around

four

decades

after

sneakers

were

marketed for sports use in the 1930s, they became a daily staple. Now, sneakers are marketed as a way of expression. Sneakers

Bianca Falcone

Words By

speak to sports interest, culture, music taste, film, and comfort.

Currently, trends seem to be cycling popular classics from the 70s and 80s with new drops of Dunks colorways and retro Jordans in an effort to introduce more eclectic styles and takes on the classic sneaker.

What shoes are grabbing the attention of Conn College students?

Ezra Norris, Gemma Savitz-

Vogel, and Eric Lu share their thoughts on how 15

they got into the footwear realm of fashion.

Wearing

Karhu

Fusion

2.0s,

Ezra

surprisingly

admits

to

being

“kinda

a

sneakerhead” when growing up. Evolving from only wearing basketball shoes, specifically Kyries, in middle school to now having a variety of shoes, Ezra has been filling out more of his collection. Hesitant to wear anything other than sneakers for most of his high school years, Ezra used his freshman year to begin branching out. Once at college, purchasing the Doc Marten 1460 lace-up boots was a big step. Recently, he acquired his first pair of Doc Marten Adrian loafers.

His approach to building an outfit with any shoe has stayed consistent. Ezra always starts surrounding the pants and shoes. When styling the Doc Marten 1460s or the Adrian Tassel loafers, Ezra enjoys dressing them down. Pairing them with white socks and loose fit jeans helps to mitigate the flashy effect of a formal shoe. “Having a good pair of shoes can make an outfit. You can wear something really simple when you have good shoes.”

Ezra finds most of his style inspiration from everyday encounters. When in cities, he is attune to other people’s dress and the practicality of comfort and mobility.

He prioritizes fashion styles fit for the day-to-day lifestyle.

As someone who focuses on sustainable fashion options and thrifts most of his wardrobe, Ezra acknowledges the challenge that comes with thrifting shoes. When purchasing new sneakers, he focuses his attention on more timeless and classic pieces and believes in having a solid rotation of footwear. Aware that buying shoes is not always the most economical, Ezra explains, “If you have enough shoes in your arsenal that you wear on a daily basis, then you're not gonna wear any of them out too quickly.” This approach allows for economy and an awareness where “you’re not constantly buying new shoes and throwing out old ones.”

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Emerging from the other room sporting a felted wool Russian Sauna hat, Eric demonstrates the excitement of experimentation and irony within the fashion world.

When asked to describe his style and explain his outfit choice today, Eric responded, “My style is kinda all over the place,” gesturing to his shoes. I looked down, noticing the heavy duty camo Crocs. He advises, “Don't take anything too serious. A lot of these fashion people are so serious.”

Eric Lu first got into sneakers in 2017. Back when Bodega was less known on Newbury Street, he attended the drop for the Air Force 1 Acronym with zipper.

Hooked on the idea of experimentation with zippers and other flexible elements, he returned the next day for the Travis Air Force 1, which you can deconstruct and rearrange, playing with the nuance of the shoe.

Eric balances his shoes among classics, newer eclectic designs, and even more subtle designs within the details. One of his favorite more subtle pairs is a JJJound Designs collaboration with Reebok.

Eric doesn't think of shoes in terms of a collection. Similar to Ezra, he bases his outfits around the shoe. He likes to stick with dark pants so his shoes pop, and since most of his shoes are colorful and dynamic, it works to wear all-black. Other times, he complements monochrome and coordinating colors, for example pairing his blue Travis Scotts with a blue jacket. He finds inspiration from fashion designers, artists, and brands he follows on Instagram, but rather than cut and paste an outfit, he prefers to create his own distinct look.

As an artist, Eric approaches fashion similar to how he makes music. “When you want a certain sound or are so focused on looking a certain way, you can get overwhelmed with options and distractions,” he says. “Listening to other people's music when you are trying to make your own will just drown out your creativity.”

He appreciates others’ style as helpful for inspiration but, “in some other way, it is very distracting.” He believes this philosophy: finding your own style can be extended to all fields of art.

Despite his interest in fashion, Eric would not consider himself a hypebeast or sneakerhead. Explaining the definition of a hypebeast as “someone who is all-in with whatever is trendy and who doesn't have their own belief or thought on the trend,” Eric shakes his head casually. Laughing, he adds, “I don't think the hypebeast sneakerheads would wear camo Crocs like this.”

"FINDING YOUR OWN STYLE CAN BE EXTENDED TO ALL FIELDS OF ART"

Sitting on the floor in Gemma’s room, I listen as Gemma walks me through her look of the day: a gray hoodie underneath her newly gifted white Bathing Ape denim jacket, with tan khakis and her Starfish Jordan 4s. When showing me her 4s, she lifts up her khakis, flaunting her pink unicorn crew socks. She grins.

Having acquired a unique sense of style, Gemma admits that years ago she had all Air Forces and started to get bored of the repetition in her closet. Her first breakout purchase was the Ugly Duckling dunk low veneer. She recalls how she was attracted to the unique color combination of her favorite colors, green and brown, paired with a vibrant purple. “If I see a pair of shoes I’ve never seen before and I like them, it's like, that's it.”

Gemma’s fashion sense comes from her desire to set herself apart from the crowd. She explains that growing up as a twin, she always had the same thing as her brother in different colors, with no room for individuality. Finding her sense of expression through fashion and shoes, when looking for Jordan 4s, the Starfish caught her eye with its brown and orange accents, which reflect her preference for darker tones while also being distinct. While her newest addition, the Doc Marten Adrian Loafer, is trending she appreciates the variety it adds to her wardrobe with its formal appearance.

Gemma categorizes her shoes into seasonal wear. For cold weather, she has her Steve Madden boots in black and white, the Crazy Horse Docs, and the Adrian Doc Loafers to wear with thick pants and corduroys. For spring and summer, she likes Converse and Nike Blazer Rebels for more delicate outfits. She is looking to add a pair of New Balances to her wardrobe and a pair of Golf Le Fleurs.

When considering new shoes, Gemma says “I'm open to anything except outrageously expensive designer brands that aren't fashionable and the only thing going for them is a brand name.”

When asked about being labeled as a sneakerhead, Gemma does not find the term offensive. Picturing a cartoon character with a sneaker for a head, she chuckles and claims she is not up-to-date on all the “sneaker lingo.”

Eyeing her collection, Gemma is silent for a moment, and then says thoughtfully, “I don't consider myself a sneakerhead but I am definitely an appreciator of sneakers.”

"If I see a pair of shoes I’ve never seen before and I like them, it's like, that's it.”

GRUNGE FASHION Written by Dominique Moran

The infamous grunge look popularized by notable bands like Nirvana and repopularized through Tumblr in the early 2010s is back in style. What is the appeal of grunge, and why is it back? Grunge has a certain durability factor; it is supposed to look worn. Grunge articles of clothing have a longer lifespan than other styles, as the wear and tear contributes to the style rather than detracts from it. Another cornerstone of grunge fashion is thrifting and secondhand apparel. In the current environmental crisis, sustainable fashion is on the rise. Thrifting is one of the primary ways college students in particular can help save the planet and their money all while staying in style.

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The exploration of gender through grunge fashion is also trending as the oversized, silhouetted styles typical of grunge clothing allow for an androgynous, disguised look.

Those looking to explore the fluidity of gender may turn to grunge as it can easily be

made

more

feminine

or

masculine

through accessorizing and makeup. Staples of grunge fashion at Connecticut College include but are not limited to: platform Doc Martens,

Parker

boots,

baggy

carpenter

jeans, and layered necklaces.

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Hot or Not: The Oscars’ Red Carpet Traditions Words by Alexa Beckstein The date of the 94th Academy Awards approaches, and as today’s stars prepare their speeches and Oscar-worthy looks, we here at Gray Area Magazine want to ask the age-old question, this time regarding the ceremony itself— the Oscars: in or out / hot or not / hit or miss?

The Oscars have traditionally been popular not only for the little gold men distributed and Hollywood superstars in attendance, but also for the night’s extravagant and influential fashion choices. The internet becomes overrun the day after the awards show with lists of the winners, the snubs and surprises of the night, as well as article after article on red carpet fashion, frequently structured like the typical “hot or not” magazine trend, though now amended to the less overtly controversial “best and worst dressed”.

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However, times have changed, and as a society we have become conscious of questionable media and cultural discourses which perpetuate harmful narratives, which the Oscars are no stranger to.

Racial bias within the Academy has recently been highlighted as the general public has come to recognize the problematic systemic issues within the ceremony, its nominees and winners, and its values, with such cultural touchstones as #OscarsSoWhite sparking necessary discussion.

Sexism within the industry has additionally been brought into the limelight as the Academy Awards ceremony is now being examined with a more critical eye, including the media’s outdated red carpet behavior. Gone are the days where it was acceptable to unabashedly critique and lambast women for their fashion choices.

Credit: Los Angeles Times

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The

Oscars

red

celebration

of

accessories,

and

carpet

gorgeous

should attire,

trend-setting

be

a

sparkling looks,

yet

female stars and artists have long been subjugated to media scrutiny and shaming.

For the ceremony, a whole team (such as the actress, stylists, designers, makeup artists etc.) has spent hours upon hours creating, modifying, and finalizing a look they deem Oscar-worthy, yet next-day reception could nullify this hard work and excitement with a simple word: “worst-dressed”. At this event for on-screen exceptionalism, women are judged for more than just their cinematic work on the famous Oscars red carpet.

Recently, there has also been a call for increased creativity and enthusiasm stylistically for men on the red carpet, seeing as historically most simply wear classic black suits. However, it should be noted that in the last few years men’s fashion choices at the Oscars and

other

awards

ceremonies

have

become

more

bold

and

interesting, likely attributable to an influx of queer nominees and younger nominees present at these events who feel less constrained by societal gender norms, which in turn encourages other men to feel comfortable to make unique fashion statements and explore exciting fashion opporunities.

Gender roles and expectations are ultimately at the heart of the discussion surrounding women and men’s red carpet experiences.

The media (as an extension of our society) is quick to criticize women, especially successful women, and pit them against each other – hence lists of best and worst dressed. Fashion has historically been viewed as a feminine genre, and therefore men have not been pressured to participate in the adventurous fashion statements on the red carpet, knowing they would be judged less for making basic fashion choices.

And, as the star of Hollywood awards ceremonies flickers and threatens to fade, the fashion of the Oscars could serve as the event’s saving grace. Due to the pandemic and rapidly declining viewership in recent years, the previous Golden Globes ceremony was neither televised nor streamed, which does not bode well for the Academy Awards. However, viewers tune in to the Oscars for more than the ceremony and celebrities — the red carpet remains an integral draw for viewership. Perhaps if media outlets move away from limiting and critical narratives regarding the looks of the evening, the fashion at the awards show (regardless of gender) will energetically flourish and reinvigorate the spectacle, and a night which is dually known for the event itself and the garments worn will become more inclusive and accepting — dually within the film industry and on the famous red carpet. As our culture shifts towards increased diversity and calls for societal self-critique, one more “miss” and the Oscars may find it difficult to ever be a “hit” again.

thanks to . . .

Co Editors-in-Chief

KENDRICK HAWKINS '23

CARLY DENORA '22

Head Photographer

Creative Layout Directors KAT CARRION '22

MARTA DENNY '22

ELLA RUDISILL '25

VICTORIA EDWARDS '25

BIANCA FALCONE '25

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