Ouachita’s Moses Provine Hall will play host to two senior art exhibits April 7-12. On the first floor’s Rosemary Gossett Adams Gallery will be Living Entity, a senior exhibit by Jennifer Bray, while on the second floor will be The Art Life, a senior exhibit by Courtney Gibson.
Bray’s exhibit is titled “Living Entity” after a quote from graphic designer Paul Rand that says “copy, art and typography should work together as one living entity.”
“I decided to name my show after that because my show kind of focuses around typography,” Bray said. “It’s kind of a lost art that people don’t really recognize…I think it’s cool how letters themselves are a piece of art, and we just don’t realize that because we use them every day.”
At her exhibit, Bray will display several posters that contain various quotes, each presented in a unique typographic way. She will also display some branding projects she has worked on throughout her time at Ouachita, including an independent study she conducted in which she created the packaging for a wine bottle.
Bray’s exhibit will focus on how typography and color affect design.
“It can make a different impact and can completely change the way you look at a certain font,” Bray said.
During her time as a graphic design student at Ouachita, Bray has enjoyed the benefits of being able to develop as a designer on a smaller campus. She recognizes the importance of being able to have one-on-one conversations with her professors about her art and how she’s doing. In her post-grad career, Bray hopes to work with branding more and strengthen her abilities there.
Gibson’s exhibit, titled “The Art Life,” is inspired by her own personal journey as an artist and the escape art provides for her. Pieces she will have on display include posters, flyers, canvases, a tapestry and an installation comprised of about 600 clothespins. Included in these pieces is her “adventure series,” a series of three large canvases inspired by Gibson’s desire to travel.
“I’ll usually design when I’m missing something,” Gibson said. “If I’m feeling the desire to explore, I don’t have the means to actually explore, so I’ll draw something that kind of compensates for the experience I can’t attain on my own.”
Gibson says that while many artists have a defining moment where they realize art is what they want to pursue, such a moment never occurred for her. Art was always something she was passionate about, so it only made sense to turn it into her career.
“Even if you consider yourself a born artist or a learned artist, we all have to learn to draw, paint, design. We all learn the same, it’s just that some people are lucky enough to have that ‘aha’ moment that changes them and defines them. But I never really had that, I’ve just always loved art.”
Both shows will be on display from April 7-12, with a reception for both taking place Saturday, April 8 at 4 p.m. in Moses Provine.
by Katie Kemp, News Editor
