ARTED-445: SENIOR EXHIBITION CATALOG (Fall, 2022)

FEATURING

PROFESSOR

This catalog was published in honor of ten seniors in the art education program who participated in the first cohort of ARTED-445: Senior Exhibition in Art Education at the University of Wisconsin - Stout. The course serves as a capstone to the art education student’s studio experiences at the university, culminating in a public exhibition of their work.

The ARTED-445 senior art exhibition captured the essence of a remarkable group of artists from different backgrounds coming together under uncommon circumstances.

On the pages that follow, viewers will encounter interactions of artistic media and forms and explorations of deep personal concepts.

I am grateful to the students for their dedication to the senior exhibition project. May this catalog disseminate their work to a broader audience and preserve it long after the exhibition has concluded.

Tami Rae Weiss, PhD

Associate Professor, Art Education Instructor for the Fall 2022 course, ARTED-445: Senior Exhibition in Art Education

All images and text are ©2022 by the artists/authors of the original works as credited. Images and writing may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of the those involved. Catalog made by Tami Rae Weiss, PhD (©2022)

A NOTE FROM THE

ART EDUCATION

SENIOR EXHIBITION

ARTED-445, FALL 2022 CATALOG BY Tami Rae Weiss, PhD

JASMINE HALL

JUDE PELOWSKI

BAILEY IWEN

HALEY PARSNEAU

GENEVIEVE NOEL

LAUREN LANDSVERK

I am an artist who creates art that focuses on the beauty of women while inspiring people to confront their perceptions of what beauty is to them and how society defines it. At the core of my art practice, I aim to empower and uplift the female body, portraying it as beautiful, powerful, complex, and honored.

For the “body” of work in this exhibition which I have titled “Figures,” I focus on highlighting the natural curves of the female form to serve as a personal reflection on the societal perceptions of beauty in women. My drawings are a representation of a variety of womanly physiques, bringing attention to their individual forms with strong yet ambiguous sensuality. The soft pastels enable me to create figures which highlight

the graceful organic curves of their bodies.

This collection was created to draw attention of the beauty of feminine bodies so as to challenge the way people view women’s bodies, given the tainted glasses that society puts over our eyes when it comes to viewing ourselves and each other. I expect these artworks will make people uncomfortable, as many find discomfort in viewing the naked body and/or having their ideas and beliefs challenged. My drawings are meant to be interpreted by each individual person in their own way, calling out their personal experiences, stereotypes, and beliefs about beauty, and potentially leaving with a new understanding.

BRIELLE CHAPLINSKI / Figures 2-5 / 2022 / chalk pastel / 24” x 48”

BRIELLE CHAPLINSKI

TITLE OF COLLECTION: FIGURES

Chalk Pastel Drawings

For the subjects in this collection, I deliberately remove considerations of race, age, emotion, etc. The identities of the figures in my pieces are unknown, painted with arbitrary colors and without facial details so as to promote the acceptance of all body types. I want the viewer to observe each figure in the rawest way possible, interpreting it as the symbol of a new universal beauty which passes through self-acceptance.

Our society is obsessed with the size and shape of the human body, and the impact that the media has on our perceptions of beauty and body image is significant- especially as it is somehow considered a sort of mirror to one’s personal identity. I want to bring attention to the normalcy of varying body types, highlighting their natural curvature for the viewer to appreciate the beauty within it.

- Brielle Chaplinski

OLYMPIA EVERGREEN

TITLE OF COLLECTION: DEEP

I am a photographer, painter and sculptor, living in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I aim to convey deep emotional connections into my work as a form of art therapy for myself and for you, too. I hope that by experiencing my story through visual arts and prose, you will also be able to find some healing for whatever journey you are embarking on as well.

During my childhood, I often spent most of my days daydreaming and pretending to fly. Ask any elementary teacher I had, and they will tell you that I would doodle on my worksheet, get lost staring out the window during class and get lost in my own imagination. While I was mostly a happy and bubbly child on the outside, something deep and dark was happening inside of me that I wasn’t able to make sense of or understand.

I am the victim of sexual assault and severe emotional abuse. From a very young age, I was exposed to deep acts of abuse that has changed my life forever. From the ages of 14 to 21, I lived in survival mode, struggling to get through daily life and dealing with the torment I felt inside of me. I spent years trying to figure out what love was, what it looked like, and if it was even real.

Having to work through these traumatic experiences of my life has been one of the hardest mountains I have ever had to climb. And for a long time, it was a silent journey.

I felt as though I could not talk about the toxic behaviors and abuse that ultimately led me to leave my family. I believed that no one would care or trust what I had to say. I have realized that this belief is a lie. There are many others who have lived through toxic relationships with their family members and who have endured abuse. I am not alone.

So, as you walk through my show from beginning to end, please take a moment to breathe through it. Breathe through each stage of my journey with me. The heaviness of the physical abuses, the darkness of my father’s passing, my struggle with sobriety in my poetry in the jar. Experience the fire, fight and loneliness I felt as I burned the bridges of my old life to build a new one in my nature photography, and the freshness of when I created a new name for myself (quite literally). Most importantly, experience the triumph with me, as I have persevered. I found deep love, chosen family, and happiness within the portraits of my exhibition.

Love has always been with me. Even when I did not know what it was, or how to feel it. It has always been there. It was inside of me all along. Thank you so much for taking the time to explore, read, listen, and connect to my story. I love you, and I am so proud of how far you have come on your own journey.

- Olympia Lee Evergreen

Photography, Painting, and Poetry

My work recently has been an exploration of my personal style within ceramics. I have been specifically interested in the style of designs used in Art Nouveau and using that inspiration within my own work. I’ve drawn inspiration from the works of Alphonse Mucha and other Art Nouveau artists in the decorative drawings on my ceramic pieces as well as for the portrait. I integrate this into my work by drawing out some designs and transferring them onto my pieces.

This process has been transformative for me because I experimented in many ways to make my ideas work and it took a lot of trial and error.

This helped me learn so much about the medium and the process of art making. Throughout the creation of this collection, I’ve made a point to reflect on previous works and develop from them to accomplish my goal of having a more apparent personal style. In my ceramics works I make functional pieces that appear in daily life, like mugs and bowls, with a more focus on their beauty rather than their purpose. I am experienced with ceramics so for this show I wanted to try something new by using underglaze to create intricate designs. I’m happy that I did this because I gave this show the purpose of developing my skills.

- Jasmine Hall

This display of work has been created this fall semester as I wrap up my time attending UW-Stout in Art Education. My educational identity has taken hold and advanced me into my career, but I was allowed the opportunity to display my artist identity through the showcase of my emotional attachments to the land I live and breathe on. All these natural landscapes are secured in my embodiment of where I love to be and the locations that are part of who I am today. Capturing this beauty amplifies the idea in both my career and artistic choices that what I admire, and what I am part of, is bigger than me, just like the work I will be providing for my future artists. I find importance of remaining grounded and would like to honor my roots (literally and figuratively).

My life is largely spent interacting with the outdoors and I have displayed my love and appreciation for the beauty it grants me. Each of these artworks come from my personal interactions with the locations represented in my landscape paintings, each serving a deeper part of my growing and evolving as a person. All are painted from individually photographed resources I captured, to stylistically represent the relevance to my life. I believe that nature speaks for itself, and I take the time to admire its worth, resonating this harmonious connection. A great deal of my childhood was spent surveying the land down the road from my dwelling at my grandmother’s house, where I have endless physical, emotional, and spiritual connections. Many of those days were spent taking care of the property. My hands help preserve and craft the scenery which stands today, providing my human interaction with the natural beauty. My artwork is neither of the realistic detail nor the abstract representation; but instead, it stylistically represents how I view each as a piece of my heart.

My collection of artworks presents my ideas on what is more than just beauty, but an aspect of my life and the interests I hold personally. These depictions of the land are not intended to replicate a photograph, but rather stand alone as their own work of art. There is imperfection in the ways leaves grow on tree branches, and rows in fields ebb and flow. I embrace those moments of imperfection to experience the natural elements as they exist in life. My hands have been part of creating some of this land; and it has been my hands which have recreated and displayed these painted spaces forever now in front of you.

- Bailey Iwen

BAILEY IWEN / My View / 2022 / Oil on Wood / 24x24 in.

TITLE OF COLLECTION: ROOTS

BAILEY

IWEN

TITLE OF COLLECTION: PERSEVERENCE Mixed Media on Paper

LAUREN LANDSVERK

My collection titled “Perseverance” is a total of four pieces made of mixed materials in which I combine both realistic and expressive motifs to honor feminist subjects in today’s world. My style is conveyed through the bright, almost gaudy color from the combination of markers and colored pencils I choose. I want the portraits and abstract pieces to be immediately eye-catching, as the viewer’s attention is drawn to the bright, saturated, spotlight on these subjects.

The chosen subject and medium for this body of work are ones in which I am familiar. Graphic portraits and intricate abstract drawings make up a large section of my previous body of work, and to mirror myself as an artist in this collection, I have chosen a familiar approach.

Malala Yousafzai / 2022 / Mixed Media / 14 x 17 in.

The feminists I selected as subjects made a significant personal impact on me as a young woman growing up. They are models of activism in their own unique expression. Through books, laws, or art, these women have made their personal mark on feminist history. I wanted to display different approaches activists take in order to make an impact. For instance, Malala Yousafzai has been a champion for women’s place in education by writing and publicly speaking across the world; and bell hooks has authored over thirty titles analyzing topics of feminism, race, and class. Each of my portraits pays homage to their character, life story, and historic influence.

choice to visually symbolize her strength and resilience. These drawings are an attempt to have the portraits feel psychologically alive and active. Accompanied with the abstract pieces, I explore the internal complexities of these women and their diversity of experiences.

Each artwork is intended to be commemorative and celebratory of what these individuals have accomplished and how they have impacted myself as an artist, future educator, and feminist.

- Lauren Landsverk

To accomplish my goals for this exhibition, I paid particular attention to the symbols, details, and drawing approach which best fit the individual or theme I was illustrating. Malala’s portrait has several visual symbols included like the lotus flower which is a direct reference to my unifying theme of perseverance. In the bell hooks drawing, the colors brown and green are another purposeful bell hooks/ 2022 / Mixed Media / 24 x 18 in. June 24, 2022 /

TANNER MILLER

TITLE OF COLLECTION: GRAPHITE LIFE

Graphite Drawings

My collection for this exhibition strives to capture the life and beauty of wild animals in nature. I created this body of work to show my personal aesthetic and passion for realism achieved through the marks of a simple pencil on paper. Grayscale imagery has always struck me as aesthetically pleasing to see the lifelike results when shading, texture, and details are added to a piece. I dedicate my senior show to the art teacher who inspired me to become a future art educator, Mrs. Marilyn Fredrickson.

Drawings stand out to me as interesting because of the purpose behind each pencil mark made. Drawings provide the viewer with the thought process behind creating a work of art; they are the building blocks of form and design leading to the final composition. Each line carrying information of what goes where, commanding each mark to work together to result in the illustrated idea I am trying to achieve. Drawings can be messy, but each line made is deliberate and shows my identity, process, and style: I would go as far as to equate it to my signature as it is unique and connects me with my work.

For this exhibition, I chose realistic animals based upon a memory from high school when my art teacher, Mrs. Fredrickson, introduced me to drawing realistically using graphite pencils. I remember being astounded by how certain techniques would create the illusion of form and texture. As my drawings progressed, Mrs. Fredrickson encouraged and affirmed my abilities, telling me she was proud of my drawings. This was a crucial moment in my life because I felt my efforts were truly appreciated by someone I looked up to.

Growing up, art was a part of my day-to-day life- an escape to where I was most comfortable. Doodling made-up worlds and expressing action and emotion through stick figures and animals was my outlet during my teenage years. As I got older, my drawing capabilities improved through practice. I was communicating more complex ideas and compositions; however, my work was never acknowledged or praised. My parents considered my artistic skills as insignificant, insisting I put more effort towards other academics like math or science. (There is a reason why I have a computer science minor alongside my future art education license). Despite their ideal vision of me, I took nearly all of the art classes my high school offered. The art room was where I was in my element, and art class was the highlight of my day, five days a week.

My art teacher gave me praise and recognition, and it heavily influenced how I see myself. That moment in my life was the critical turning point that I needed to flourish as a growing artist.

Wildlife animals have always been a comfort for me ever since I was little. I hoard numerous plush animals and attend art fairs to see booths that sell wildlife prints. My mother would tell me stories about how she grew up with two foxes, three raccoons, a couple of turkeys, and a variety of farm animals. I reflected on these and developed an admiration for wildlife creatures which has stuck with me ever since.

My goal for this body of work is to capture the nature of wildlife with the illustrative power of the pencil to make lifelike imagery. I hope viewers are able to look at my work and appreciate the artistic capacity that can bring nature to life the same way it did for me years ago. The recognition I gained from my past art teacher helped me to elevate my drawing abilities to what they are today; and I hope you, the viewers of my work, can see the culmination these skills which begins with a simple pencil.

-Tanner Miller

Bear / 2022 / Graphite on Strathmore paper / 18 x 24 in.

Fox / 2022 / Graphite on Strathmore paper / 18 x 24 in.

ASHLYN MINKS

TITLE OF COLLECTION: CONNECTION

Chalk Pastel Drawings

As I have gotten older, I have become more aware of and grateful for the people in my life, and I want to illustrate this awareness through my senior show. My four pieces are, essentially, symbolic self-portraits of my short life experience. I think (and hope) that a viewer will be able to see themselves in at least one of the four pieces that I make, if not all of them.

I am an artist who focuses on themes, events, and ideas that I have felt or experienced- specifically things that I believe other people have also been through but may not have the right words to describe that experience. I want to achieve a mutual empathy with my viewers. By gaining an understanding about how I have felt and what I have gone through, viewers can relate to me and sense a shared trust between us. I want to use my art as a voice for others, and by extension, give myself a voice.

Self-Love / 2022 / Chalk Pastel on Stonehenge paper / 22x30 in.

Devotion / 2022 / Chalk Pastel on Stonehenge paper / 22x30 in.

Community / 2022 / Chalk Pastel on Stonehenge paper / 22x30 in.

My body of work is titled, “Connection – Visual Memoir,” in which I focus on four different types of connection. The first is lack of connection: I have been through times when I felt very alone and disconnected from everyone, even locking my door in an effort to close myself off from the rest of the world. The next is connection to one person: I have a bond with someone who makes me feel fully supported, and in turn, I feel like I can share my heart with that one person. Third is connection to self: I have had to sit with my emotions and come to terms with myself regarding who I am and how I can grow. Finally, there is found family connection: I have found “my people” with whom I want to experience and share my life- a chosen community of people who love and support me for me.

Previously, I created a series of artworks which explored the topic of emotional detachment and neglect, and their effect on children. Through this project, I developed a sense of style for visual storytelling with my use of design elements and composition. I want this series, “Connection,” to show my growth as an artist since then, as I have honed my visual communication skills, especially in using color and representing form. I decided to work with chalk pastels, given my prior experience with the medium to understand its fluidity and versatility. Moreover, the soft luminance of chalk pastel complements and enhances the overall theme of my show.

For this series, I was inspired by modern artists, as well as current active artists, specifically Dan Attoe’s picture-within-a-picture paintings and the expressive and free style of Edvard Munch, as seen in his Frieze of Life. I appreciate how Munch used light and color to illustrate monumental themes of death, life, and love. I tried to implement this style in my series by incorporating dramatic lighting, colors relating to the mood, and a similar intensity that he achieves in his scenes. I incorporated an anchor of a window across all my pieces because it lets you see into a place and allows light in. It can also be a reflective surface, showing you yourself. This anchor of viewing through a window further connected my pieces together, while giving a sense of each environment with deliberate lighting inspired by Munch. “Connection” is a series about bonds. It is above love, and the importance of love. It should make the viewer nostalgic and appreciative for who they have in their life. It is a collection for other people, but also for me. It is a series created to give myself a platform to share my experiences and perhaps for others to share theirs.

- Ashlyn Minks

No Signal / 2022 / Chalk Pastel on Stonehenge paper / 22x30 in.

TITLE OF COLLECTION: DISPOSITION

Oil Paintings on Canvas

GENEVIEVE NOEL

My collection entitled “Disposition” includes six portraits that inherently display the personalities of six different people. Portraits are fascinating to me because I can capture a person’s character through their expression and attire, as well as the lighting, colors, and brushstrokes that I use.

The project that ignited my connection to painting was a portrait project from my second painting course at the university. I was satisfied of the result of my portraits which got me thinking about returning to portraiture for my senior show. I began thinking about who I wanted to capture the essence and personality of, and the even bigger question of “Why?”

To determine whom I wanted to paint, I reached out to six individuals whom I have gotten to know in different capacities and to varying degrees- each subject with a distinctly different disposition from the other. Utilizing photography, I attempted to capture their personalities via poses, gazes, and expressions, considering also how those poses interacted with my chosen lighting. I used those elements to form a composition that contributed to their essence. Each photograph looked altogether unique, as people are.

As a collection of paintings, I achieved unity through how I composed and painted them according to my own aesthetic.

I selected the final images for my portraits that best conveyed the subjects’ identities through my eyes. For example, Jude has a more comical expression because he is known to make an entire class laugh with his quirky personality. Bear is the son of my friend, Mia, and I portrayed him to capture his innocence, peering

Jude / 2022 / Oil on Canvas / 12x16 in. Ashlyn & Nyla / 2022 / Oil on Canvas / 20x24 in.

Genevieve / 2022 / Oil on Canvas / 12 x 16 in.

out from the canvas with youthful curiosity. Each portrait was painted with intentionality in every aspect: the posing, the backgrounds, the expressions, the placement on the canvas, and the expressive color choices. I captured the unique dispositions of all my subjects, … and then decided I wanted to capture myself.

In painting my self-portrait, I decided to show a serious expression because it reflects a side of me that many people do not see. Instead of portraying one of my boisterous laughs or my big smile with dimples, I captured a more pensive self that stares at the viewer with a challenging gaze. Of late, self-reflection has been on my mind by contemplating who I am. It has led me to immense growth, relief, and reconciliation with my past.

My portraits illustrate the refinement of my painting abilities, and they reflect the nature of my subjects as I have come to know them. Altogether, Disposition is a series of paintings in which I believe I achieved engaged and empathized with each person I painted, including myself, leading me to even greater growth as a person and artist.

-Genevieve Noel

Masako/ 2022 / Oil on Canvas / 12 x 16 in. Bear / 2022 / Oil on Canvas / 12 x 16 in.

For many people, quilts are functional, decorative blankets and not necessarily seen as artwork. A quilt was the first work of art I ever saw; and because of the value of it being a family tradition, I would never view a quilt as “just a blanket”. Before I was even born my great-grandmother created a quilt design for me which she was never able to finish by the end of her life. Nevertheless, my grandmother finished it for her because it was meant for me as a family heirloom. Growing up, I took comfort in that blanket through many life struggles. Twenty-two years later, I still wrap myself in it because it is a part of my identity and family history.

For this exhibition, I painted twelve canvas squares that are inspired by quilt squares, more specifically barn quilts; and I removed the wooden canvas frames in order to sew them together with the canvas fabric. I left the edges of the fabric frayed to represent the feeling of something being unsaid or unfinished.

One of the prominent adult figures in my life was my Aunt Rhenda. She died of breast cancer in 2017. She taught me how to sew, and she was always sewing. When she died, I felt like I still had much to learn from her. This installation represents the feeling of lost moments and memories that were not expressed to a person that passed away.

The panel of fabric is draped across a chest that I have used to store quilts, and I thought was the perfect place to display my artwork. Also, on top of the chest, there are two ceramic mugs I have made myself, one filled with tea and the other with coffee. My Aunt Rhenda would always drink tea, especially a very hot cup of tea that would burn your mouth with every sip. While the cup of coffee represents me, I used to drink tea with her but over the years I have come to like coffee better. So, this change is drink shows time without a loved one and how you will grow up without them there.

In life, we grow every day and many times we do not realize how much we have changed from the person we used to be until way later. The last time I talked to my Aunt Rhenda, I was a completely different person than I am now; yet, I know she would still love to sit down with a cozy quilt with a piping hot cup of tea and listen to all the stories I have collected over the years.

- Haley Parsneau

TITLE OF COLLECTION: UNFINISHED CONVERSATIONS

HALEY PARSNEAU

An art installation consisting of two ceramic mugs, quilting scissors, unfinished quilt squares, and a quilt panel emerging from a trunk. The quilt panel consists of 4”x 4” squares that are painted in acrylic on canvas.

The art that I, of late, have created has remained under the context of being a student. The external factors that have influenced me have been motivated by my teachers, classes, and deadlines. Each piece has an aspect of my own touch and creativity but all under the pretense of being a student. Being a disciple comes before the exploration of being my own artist. All my work is created for growth and exploration. The work that best represents my own creative freedom is my Bug-Inspired ceramicware. I love bugs, and I feel their three body parts do a great job of reflecting the main parts in ceramic vessels, the head, thorax and abdomen, reflect a vessel’s head, body and foot.

I simply enjoy creating what I create.

- Jude Pelowski

Teapot Inspired by a Ladybug / 2022

Vase Inspired by a Cockroach / 2022

Jar Inspired by a Honeybee and Horned Beetle Bug Mugs / 2022

Inspired by Asian Long Beetle (2022)