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December Issue 2004

Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, Presents BFA Senior Studio Exhibition

Appalachian State University presents the BFA Senior Studio Exhibition: Fall 2004, at the Catherine J. Smith Gallery in Boone, NC. The exhibition will be on view from Dec. 8 - 14, 2004, and will include work by eleven of the thirteen artists that are graduating this semester. Works in the show are composed of a variety of media including: painting, sculpture, metalsmithing, printmaking, performance, sound, and other experimental media.  

The gallery is pleased to present works from the following artists: Nicole Allen, Jennifer Barron, Sarah Coogan, Kim Feigenbaum, Sarah Moessner, Morgan Neese, Chad Pierce, Meg Rodgers, Justin Russell, Tim Salt, and Nathan Sander. Two additional artists, Derrick Sides and Mike Thomas, will be exhibiting their works at other locations in Downtown Boone. For the past year, these students have been working with Margaret Yaukey, associate professor in the art department, who states, ≥this is an exceptionally talented group of students and the works they are exhibiting are quite impressive.  The art department is extremely proud of their accomplishments and is hopeful for the studentsπ futures.≤

Derrick Sides will be showing his works at Artspace located at 130 North Depot Street and Mike Thomas will be showing his works at Nth° Gallery located at 683 King Street.
 
Nicole Allen, born in 1981 in Shelby, NC, currently resides in Boone, NC. Allenπs current body of work is about exploring the relationship of her inner and outer self. The lengthy process of her work serves as an aid for questioning.  

Jennifer Barron, born in 1979 in Pisa, Italy, currently resides in Deep Gap, NC. For the last couple of years, Jennifer Barron has been involved in what she likes to call experiential art and/or living sculpture. She physically embeds herself in the work and to learn and grow from these experiences for herself and her audience. Recently, her work has focused on her identity within the class mammalia.
 
Sarah Coogan, born in 1979 in Montgomery, AL, currently resides in Boone, NC. Cooganπs work explores themes of American popular culture and the struggle to maintain individual identity when confronted by mass production, media and other false image-inducing influences. She is currently working with oil and latex paints on panel.
 
Kim Feigenbaum, born in 1982 in Ohio, currently resides in Boone, NC. For Feigenbaum, painting is a perilous journey involving many ravenous creatures bent on human destruction. Among these are the giant flesh-eating carp, the three-headed pterodactyl monster, and rabid man-eating bunnies.
 
Sarah Moessner, born in 1981 in Washington, DC, currently resides in Brentwood, TN. Moessnerπs current work is a series of paintings about her early development as a child. The paintings are derived from family photographs and contain collected items she has held onto for sentimental reasons. Through collage and layering of images, she continues to discover ways she sees herself as a child and how that relates to who she is today.

Morgan Neese, born in 1982 in Marion, VA, currently resides in Boone, NC. Neese has an obsession and love for metalsmithing. From this passion, she has created a body of artwork that represents the flesh and bone of the human body. Out of materials such as sterling and fine silver, pewter, and white bronze her work is sculpted into wearable jewelry.

Chad Pierce, born in 1977 in Wilmington, NC, currently resides in Boone, NC. Works by Pierce deal with social introversion and anxiety. In his series of five prints, Pierce investigates truth and documents his interactions and observations of society.
 
Meg Rodgers, born in 1980 in Waynesboro, VA, currently resides in Boone, NC. The strength of Rodgersπ series of sculptures titled, Phases, lies in her use of gestural curvilinear forms, intimate inner spaces, and tactile surface qualities to evoke emotions experienced in intimate relationships. Feelings of loss and letting go, of belonging, of love and grief, and the power of longing and yearning are the essence of this series of sculptures.
 
Justin Russell, born in 1981 in Maryville, TN, currently resides in Banner Elk, NC. Russellπs current work is the result of three years of cross-cultural and interdisciplinary studies that have focused on attaining a state of mind that is sustainable and decidedly positive. Each piece in the show is an expression of this meditative state where the lines between heart and mind are blurred and stillness is experienced.
 
Tim Salt, born in 1978 in England, currently resides in Boone, NC. Much of the integral thrust in Saltsπ work has been influenced by the study and theory of music and sound. His recent sculptural work has been in the realm of acoustic and digital sound, dealing with perception and the psychological effects on the viewer.
 
Nathan Sander, born in 1980 in Atlanta, GA, currently resides in Boone, NC. Sanderπs body of work, ille lacertus, concerns itself with many facets of contemporary American anthropology, emphasizing the cultural and physical distinctions of discarded objects. The act of collection, attention to life cycles of inanimate objects, the historical context, and commentary on the present form of American existence are key themes.
 
Derrick Sides, born in 1982 in High Point, NC, currently resides in Boone, NC. Sidesπ work is the culmination of a series of events going all the way back to the beginning of time. It is circumstantially related to the absurdity in his own life and the exponential potential for that quality of experience to be cultivated, harvested and sent to market.
 
Michael Thomas, born in 1980 in Winston-Salem, NC, currently resides in Boone, NC. Thomasπ work discusses the simplicity of the machine as a way of illustrating the complexity of life. Themes within the body of work include aspects of primal desires, basic needs, and emotions. His aim is to show a metaphorical relationship of actions performed by machines to the workings of nature.
 
The Catherine J. Smith Gallery is located in Farthing Auditorium on the Appalachian State University Campus. Admission is free. Hours are Monday through Friday from 10AM to 5PM. The gallery will be open extended hours on Graduation Day, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2004, from 10AM to 2PM. For more information, call 828-262-7338.

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