Seven Senior Art Majors to Present Works in Thesis Art Exhibition

Works by seven senior art majors will be featured in the annual senior thesis art exhibition April 20-May 5, in the Founders Hall Gallery and Commons, located on the second floor of the building.  An opening reception will be held Friday, April 20, from 7-9 p.m.  Admission to the exhibition and reception is free, and Founders Hall is open to the public daily.

The exhibition, “Pleiades: A Show of Seven,” refers to the Pleiades constellation of which the seven brightest stars are known as the Seven Sisters.  These sisters have been known in cultures throughout the world and have played major roles in Greek, Japanese, Hindu and Aboriginal mythology.  The seven women students in the exhibition and their areas of specialization are:

Jessica Anderson (painting)

Anderson, from Atlanta, Ga., is a bachelor of arts candidate whose works include figurative, large-scale paintings and smaller-scale wax and plaster sculptures, which are united through a theme of suspension. Bodies are suspended both literally and figuratively: some hang from the ceiling, while others are floating in their own environments.  Anderson placed first in the design category in the 2004 student art show, and placed second in both painting and sculpture categories in 2006.  She is a Bonner Scholar, a member of the Quaker Leadership Scholars program and a Dana Scholar recipient.  Anderson has been involved in various community art initiatives and plans to pursue a career in arts outreach and service.

Maggie Bamberg ( photography)

Bamberg, from Newtown, Conn., is a candidate for a bachelor of arts in photography.  In 2006, she held a semester-long photography internship at the Smithsonian Institute, and was later hired as a photographer for the National Air & Space Museum.  In her thesis, Bramberg investigates the dilapidated side of the Revolution cotton mill in Greensboro.  Her digital photographs, including prints and projections along with sound recordings, give the viewer a glimpse into her vision of the vanished life of the mill.

Vada Bostian (photography)

Through photographs of her daughter, Bostian explores the world of childhood imagination, mood, and emotion.  A single mother and a native of Greensboro, Bostian has exhibited her work locally, and currently teaches at the Center for Visual Artists.  A bachelor of fine arts candidate, she is the recipient of the Center for Continuing Education’s Endowed Scholarship and the 2006 Merry Moor Winnett Scholarship in Photography.  She is opening a children’s portrait photography studio in Greensboro.

Irene Donnelly (printmaking)

Donnelly is from Baltimore, Md., and is a candidate for a bachelor of fine arts in printmaking. Her nine etchings on display depict surrealistic plant forms in vibrant colors and detailed textures.  Donnelly was awarded first place in sculpture in the 2006 annual student show and most recently was awarded second place in the "Artists of the 21st Century Juried Collegiate Exhibition" at the West Tennessee Regional Art Center, Humboldt, Tenn.

Kris Hohn (sculpture)

A sculptor from Dallas, Texas, Hohn is a candidate for a bachelor of arts.  In 2006, she was co-recipient of the James S. Laing Art Award, given annually for excellence in art. Hohn is a double major in art and psychology with a concentration in religious studies, and plans to continue her studies in China after graduation.  Her plaster sculptures are spiritual expressions concerned with the cyclical nature of reality.

Heidi MacLean-Marafa (photography)

Hailing from New Gloucester, Maine, MacLean-Marafa is a bachelor of fine arts candidate. Her digital, black and white, abstract portraits explore the sociological and psychological connections that can be drawn from materials placed on the skin. Using dramatic lighting and a large depth of field, she explores the human form with emphasis on texture and movement.  MacLean-Marafa is the recipient of the 2005 and 2006 Merry Moor Winnett Scholarships in Photography and the Guilford College Art Appreciation Club Merit Award in 2006.  Her work is currently included in a traveling exhibition, “Art at Work,” being shown at Elon University and North Carolina School of the Arts. 

Nicole Minkin (painting)

Minkin is a candidate for a bachelor of fine arts in painting, from Asheville, N.C.  Her recent paintings are a literal and metaphorical exploration of morning in which small creatures from nature infiltrate a woman’s morning routines, unveiling a relationship between humans and nature.  Minkin studied art at the Universidad de Pais Vasco in Bilbao, Spain during her junior year and won the James S. Laing Art Award in both 2005 and 2006.  Her paintings and designs garnered first place awards in the annual student art show in 2003, 2004 and 2006.  She is currently exhibiting at the Lee Gallery at Clemson University in a show entitled, “What’s Your Body Image?”

To participate in the optional honors senior thesis exhibition, students must apply in their junior year and have at least a 3.25 GPA in art.  Selected students partake in a rigorous program of independent work, group critiques, and a required professional practices course, which culminates in their final group exhibition.

For additional information on the exhibition, please call the Founders Hall Information Desk, 336-316-2301, or contact the Art Department (Roy Nydorf, chair), 336-316-2228.

April 20, 2007