Samuel Law, a first-year Master of Fine Arts student, presents a piece titled “Disparate Aggregation” in the “Convergence” exhibition. The photo above shows the work-in-progress that was subsequently finalized for the exhibition and displayed in the Hopkins Hall Gallery. Credit: Samuel Law
When looking at art, people often extrapolate a deeper meaning behind the work. The minds of the artists themselves, however, usually remain unthought.
The Ohio State Department of the Arts and Urban Arts Space are co-hosting their first annual Master of Fine Arts Exhibition, in which freshmen art students pursuing a master’s degree display their work in an exhibit, Urban Arts Space marketing and communications specialist Diane Coleman said. This year’s exhibit, titled “Convergence,” opened Monday in the Hopkins Hall Gallery and will run through Feb. 9, with the exhibit open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the department website.
Samuel Law, a first-year student pursuing a master’s degree in photography and a featured artist in this year’s show, said he knew he wanted to be a photographer after visiting historic colonial-era sites as a middle school student.
“I ran around with my mom’s camera and took tons and tons of pictures,” Lo said. “And then I just ran up to my mom and said, ‘Mom, I want to be a photographer.'”
Now Lo, who currently teaches Art 2555: Introduction to Digital Photography and Contemporary Issues, said his particular style of photography is inspired by photographs that remind viewers of the presence of the artist without detaching from the subject itself.
“I really enjoy photography that subverts my expectations or that reminds me that I’m looking at a photograph,” Lo said. “I think of photos of Lee Friedlander that really point to the origin of the production, like his shadow might be in the picture and he tells you, ‘I’m the guy taking the picture. The photographer is still here.”
An untitled ceramic piece by first-year Master of Fine Arts student Omni Estabrook is on display in the “Convergence” exhibit in the Hopkins Hall Gallery. Credit: Haig Agjayan | Arts and Life Reporter
Photography is not the only art form present in Convergence. Onni Estabrook, a first-year student pursuing a master’s degree in ceramics, said they like to immerse themselves in their art, which often takes the form of clay.
Especially for this exhibit, Estabrook said they are creating a clay slab from the road with pieces of real gravel they collected themselves and tire tracks made by their own footsteps.
“I really like using my body as [maker’s mark] in my work,” Estabrook said. “It’s important to me that my body is visible on the surface of the art.”
Estabrook said their passion for ceramics was nurtured at an early age, thanks in part to their family’s love of the arts in general and their exposure to the art world as a child.
“I think I’ve always worked with my hands,” Estabrook said. “My mom always cultivated an appreciation for the arts growing up, so we were always going to museums, looking at art, and taking art classes.”
Estabrook, who currently teaches Art 3002: Intro to Ceramics: Structure, said they didn’t consider ceramics a legitimate professional endeavor until much later in life, and even now still struggle with doubt surrounding art as a possible career choice .
“I’ve always been very interested [art] and I don’t think I necessarily considered it a profession until someone kind of said to me, ‘I think you have what it takes to do this,'” Estabrook said. “I’ve always seen it as something that’s difficult, maybe not profitable, and I still struggle with that.”
However, Estabrook said they couldn’t imagine their lives without art.
“Working with my hands and making is so important to me,” Estabrook said. “I kind of say.” [this] free, but for me the reason I’m alive and here is to be an artist, for me. It’s just something I have to do, something I have to do.
Comics by first-year fine arts student Shaheen Beardsley are on display at the Convergence exhibit in the Hopkins Hall Gallery. Credit: Haig Agjayan | Arts and Life Reporter
Shaheen Beardsley, a first-year student pursuing a master’s degree in graphics and a Convergence featured artist, said he will display his comic — titled “OBOY” — at the showcase. The comic attempts to deconstruct the ‘noble hero’ archetype by featuring a deeply flawed hero, according to the official ‘OBOY’ website.
Beardsley, who also teaches Art 2100: Beginning Drawing, said he was introduced to comics at an early age.
“Comics have always been a thing in the house since I was a little kid,” Beardsley said. “My parents sent me to a lot of art classes when I was growing up. When I was younger I actually hated it, I was like, “Please stop, I can teach myself to draw.” I just have really supportive parents. They sent me to many seminars, many classes.
Although technology has greatly accelerated the process of creating comics, Beardsley said he tries to find the right balance between hand-drawn art and digital techniques in his work.
“My process is basically the same as most people making comics now, but there’s all these cool old tricks they had to do before computers that sometimes I want to know about or try,” Beardsley said. “I’d like to do away with the computer completely if I could because it’s annoying sometimes. He really doesn’t agree with me.”
There are a total of nine participating artists in this year’s exhibit, and an opening reception will be held Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. in Hopkins Hall Gallery, according to the department website. Beardsley, Estabrook and Law have confirmed that they will be in attendance to meet attendees and discuss their work with any interested visitors.
More information about Beardsley, Estabrook and Lo can be found on their respective Instagram accounts, @Shaheen_Beardsley, @too_casual and @sam_g_lo. Lo’s photography is also featured on his websiteand Beardsley shares updates on “OBOY” via the comic website.
