Northwest showcases senior art exhibits

faculty has been a positive experience.

Northwest is holding senior art exhibitions until May 5 for final-year art students to show off their work.

Professor Armin Mühsam teaches painting and drawing classes here at Northwest. He said what is satisfying about teaching seniors is being able to witness the maturity of their skills in art and seeing their one-of-a-kind vision they have developed over time. Mühsam said he hopes the graduating art students are productive citizens in life but do not sacrifice being the professional artists they studied to become.

“Every professional artist shows their work because that’s their research,” Mühsam said. “The visual research is presented in an exhibition, and so the seniors mount a show where they present to the public a coherent vision of who they are as an artist and what they want to communicate to the world.”

Assistant Professor of ceramics Veronica Watkins teaches ceramics classes of all levels, as well as foundational art classes like 2D design, drawing and art appreciation. She said these exhibitions provide students with opportunities to show off their best pieces, contrary to the belief that everything an artist makes is good.

“There’s failures, and people don’t see the failures that are going in the dumpster,” Watkins said. “I compare it to writing or any other kind of communication. You know, we write a lot of bad papers before we write good papers.” Watkins said it is a positive experience as a professor when a student continues their artistic studies in graduate school or through a residency. Even more when students might send their professor some artwork they have done in their continuing studies.

One of these graduating students is senior art education major Caylea Dill, whose exhibition is in the lobby of the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts until May 5. She said that studying art at Northwest with Northwest’s

“I love the faculty here,” Dill said. “They really want what is best for their students, and they are willing to drop everything to come help you. I have a lot of ambitious ideas, and I have never been turned away because of them.”

Dill said graduating with an art degree is exciting but also scary. She said there is less faculty support after someone graduates, so the responsibility is really all on her.

Dill’s art for the exhibition was inspired by religion. She said figuring out what she believes, and not just believing what she is told to by other people, is a part of the inspiration.

One piece Dill emphasized was her piece titled “Angel,” which depicts a woman angel on her knees turned so you can’t see her face. Above her head, in a halo, are the lyrics to Leanord Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” The halo reads “Your faith was strong, but you needed proof.” Dill said she was in a similar boat when her faith deteriorated, and she felt she required proof.

“You see her kneeling, but you don’t see her face,” Dill said. “And so it kind of leaves the viewer to question ‘Why is she questioning her faith? Is it because of fear (or) sadness?’ We’re missing those answers because we can’t see the expression on her face.”

Other senior exhibitions are being held up until May 5 in the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building in both the Olive DeLuce Gallery and throughout the first floor as well as the second floor of the J.W. Jones Student Union.

Blue Willow and White Elm Mercantile will be closed from April 30 to May 4 and will officially reopen May 5 with a new, improved look. The sister stores will not be combined by owner Stephanie Campbell-Yount.

Campbell-Yount brought Blue Willow to Maryville in November 2016, and she opened her second store White Elm Mercantile in October 2020. Blue Willow is a women's apparel and accessories store. It provides sizes from extra small up to 3X. White Elm Mercantile is a home decor and gift store.

She moved the location of both stores to one building in 2021 — one side being Blue Willow and the other being White Elm Mercantile. CampbellYount said she felt she was duplicating efforts and it has been hard running two businesses in one building. She has been managing both stores separately: two separate websites, social media, store systems and apps.

“The most challenging part is to have two different brand voices,” Campbell-Yount said. “It’s gonna feel really great to talk about it all the same.”

Willow + Elm is going to be about creating a beautiful life in people’s homes and closets.

Campbell-Yount took elements of each brand's styles into the new store identity. She said there will be more of a classic font and the secondary font will be a mid-century and retro.

Campbell-Yount had thoughts of combining the two when she moved locations in 2021, but she came to her final decision in January 2023. When Campbell-Yount announced the new beginning of the stores, she said the community was super positive, and she felt everyone kind of knew it was coming.

Campbell-Yount said she is still in the works of planning a special opening day. She said it will have specials and tons of new items, and Sylvia Chloupek will be there selling her macarons.

“We are going to dig a little bit more into the ability to have pieces in your wardrobe that can do everything,” CampellYount said.

Campbell-Yount said the process of combining the two businesses has been a seamless process, but she knows there will be challenges ahead. There will be a warehouse sale April 27-29 at the Blue Willow and White Elm Mercantile located on East Fourth Street during normal store hours. Both stores are having a 25% off endof-era sale online.

It will be getting rid of some brands that don’t fit into the new store brand and style. It plans to keep styles in denim and items that sell well, and get rid of the things that aren’t popular. Customers of both businesses will see great gift options, home decor, selfcare, greeting cards and much more from what White Elm Mercantile provided.

Campbell-Yount said it will be hard to let go of Blue Willow, and it's how she started in the community and got close to many women. She said she is very excited about the future of the new brand and wants every- one to learn to live life beautifully through Willow + Elm.

“Community is everything, whether it is my online, local or student community,” Campbell-

Yount said. “The community has given me far more than I could ever give it. It’s been an incredible experience and just changed my life in all the best ways.”