The depths of human imagination and creativity unfolded down the halls of the visual arts building on Wednesday at the School of Art and Design’s open studio event.
The goal of the annual open studio event is to give KSU and high school students an inside look at the lives of art majors who have concentrations in painting, ceramics, sculpture, photography, drawing, printmaking, animation and more.
Eye-popping, dream-like painted portraits and intimate moments frozen in pencil sketches graced the walls, seducing viewers into the dimensions of human expression.
“People don’t always realize that art is all around them, and we as art majors are able to really appreciate that and put more of it into the world,” said Megan Pace, an art major with a concentration in ceramics.
At the event, professors opened their doors to give insight to what happens during their classes, and current art students showed off their latest projects and previous masterpieces.
“Its a pleasure to have people come in and visit, see what we do in our studios and what we teach,” said ceramics and sculpture professor Keith Smith.
The open house event featured a portfolio review, where anyone aspiring to join the school of art and design could bring in their creations for professional critiques from the top professors before submitting them in applications.
One of the lesser-known concentrations in the visual arts building is printmaking. At the open-studio event, the printmaking studio’s doors were open to visitors’ curious eyes.
“Printmaking combines everything,” says Virginia Moore, a fine arts major with a concentration in printmaking. “It incorporates drawing skills, color theory, and just about everything imaginable about art you can do in the [print] lab. You can print on just about anything. We’ve got some awesome equipment here and a fantastic teacher.”
Clay was being beautifully molded and fired with astounding student craftsmanship in the ceramics and sculpture studios.
“Art is something I’m genuinely passionate about, so I’m happy to get up in the morning and go to college,” said Aubrey Davis, an art major with a ceramics concentration. “The stuff we make you can use in everyday life. Everyone is always going to need plates, cups, tables and furniture.”
The ceramics and sculpture departments were in the process of making bowls for the “Empty Bowls Project” as a part of homelessness awareness week. The goal of this program is to help bring awareness and end to hunger.
“The bowls are $15 and are filled with food or soup, and the funding goes to help feed the homeless,” Smith said.
The art and design open house not only provided help and advice to aspiring artists but also acknowledged the amount of hard work these students put into their studies and passions.
“People think that being an art major is easy, and that is not true,” Pace said. “I can guarantee that we put in more hours in school than any other major. Our work is critiqued and out there for everyone to see. It’s very personal, but I wouldn’t do anything else.”
To find more information about KSU’s School of Art and Design visit http://arts.kennesaw.edu/visual-arts/.
Check out the featured students’ artwork on Instagram.
Aubrey Davis @aubreyleighart
Megan Pace @megan_pace_
