Incandescent: Senior BFA Exhibition 2024
Published: March 15, 2024 | Author: Kol Gibson | Read Time: 5 minutes
The Department of Filmmaking, Art, & Design (FAD) and Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) are proud to announce the opening of Incandescent: Senior BFA Exhibition 2024. This highly anticipated showcase, which features the capstone projects of graduating FAD students, opens on March 18 and will run until April 26, 2024. SUMA is free and open to the public.
The Senior BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) Exhibition is a testament to the dedication and talent of each graduating student. Through months of exploration, experimentation, and refinement, these emerging artists have honed their skills and conceptualized captivating bodies of work that reflect their unique perspectives and artistic journeys.
“We are thrilled to present the culmination of our seniors’ academic journey through Incandescent,” said Jeff Hanson, graphic design professor and FAD department chair. “This exhibition celebrates our students’ passion and showcases the remarkable skills of our graduates as they prepare to embark on their professional careers.”
Incandescent offers a diverse array of artistic disciplines, spanning painting, drawing, printmaking, graphic design, illustration, and photography. Visitors can expect to encounter a rich tapestry of visual narratives, each piece offering a glimpse into the artists’ personal experiences, passions, and visions.
“One of my favorite aspects of being a graphic designer is the opportunity for creative expression and being able to bring ideas to life visually,” shares Graphic Design major, Kolton Camp. Kolton’s capstone project focuses on celebrating and recognizing the transformative process of adoption. He created large posters of his adopted brother and sister as well as a poster series of other children who have been adopted into loving homes and families along with a book that gives a voice to adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive families by sharing their unique stories, opinions, and insights. “I invite viewers to reflect on their own perceptions of family and identity, while encouraging empathy and compassion towards those touched by adoption. My brother and sister mean the world to me and I am grateful to share our story through my art,” he says.
Another Graphic Design major, Sophie Stilson, created a brand called “Ignite” which is dedicated to encouraging imagination. Her brand campaign includes materials that Sophie designed, from infographics, sketchbooks and pencil cases to “Ignite Spark Cards,” which are prompts that inspire art in many different ways. Along with Sophie’s brand materials, she features the works of various young artists who created pieces based on the Ignite Spark cards. “My hope is that if people don’t already have a creative outlet, my project might inspire them to find one,” says Sophie. “My ultimate goal is to spark curiosity by showing how creativity can empower people and foster skills like reasoning, intuition, and problem-solving.”
While the Senior BFA Exhibition highlights the hard work of SUU’s art students, it is also a testament to the faculty and their ability to prepare their students for careers in art. “I can now say that I’m a professional graphic designer due to my professors’ expertise and critiques,” says Kamp. “As I’m approaching the end of a long educational journey, I have to give thanks to Brock Landrum, Chris Graves, and Jeff Hansen. Each and every day, they inspire all of us and give us valuable lessons. They prepare us for the real world.”
Sophie Stilson shares a similar sentiment, “I am thankful for all the great professors I’ve been able to have at SUU. They have helped me to grow as an artist and a designer.” Sophie emphasized the role that Jeff Hansen and Susanna Herrmann played in helping to steer her project in the right direction and reach her goals. In addition to her SUU professors, Sophie credits her mom who encouraged her to be creative. “My mom gave me the foundation I needed to be successful in the creative field,” she says.
Gallery Talks and an Opening Reception will be held for the Senior BFA Exhibition in conjunction with SUU’s Festival of Excellence on Tuesday, March 26. From 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., several outstanding student exhibitors will present their work. From 7-9:00 p.m. that evening, all are invited to join the Department of Filmmaking, Art, & Design in celebrating the students’ work at the Opening Reception and Awards Night. Light refreshments will be served.
Incandescent: Senior BFA Exhibition 2024 will run from March 18 to April 26, 2024 at SUMA. The Museum is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Don’t miss your chance to see the exceptional works of SUU’s first-rate Art & Design students. To learn more about the upcoming exhibitions at Southern Utah Museum of Art, please visit www.suu.edu/suma.
Exhibiting Students
Rachael Adams, Painting/Drawing/Printmaking · Allison Berger, Graphic Design · Bailey Bishop, Painting/Drawing/Printmaking · Ivy Fellmeth, Graphic Design · Sel Fernandez, Illustration · Amariah Freeman, Illustration · Claire Hall, Graphic Design · Galina Hasanova, Illustration · Jess Hebertson, Illustration · Adeline Hunt, Graphic Design · Allison Ipson, Graphic Design & Photography · Hikari Ito, Illustration · Kolton Kamp, Graphic Design · Emily Loertscher, Graphic Design · Allyson Lundell, Graphic Design · Kate Petersen, Graphic Design · Zoë Petersen, Illustration · Jack Powell, Graphic Design · Jarom Robinson, Graphic Design · Tiana Sam, Graphic Design · Ethan Smith, Graphic Design · Margaret Stevens, Illustration · Corrinne Stewart, Graphic Design · Sophie Stilson, Graphic Design · Jordan Swafford, Graphic Design · Emma Wallenfells, Illustration · Melissa Ward, Illustration · Ashlyn Nicole Wiggins, Illustration · DJ Wilson, Graphic Design · Chiyu Zheng, Graphic Design
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 41 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theatre as well as the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA). It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 900 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year and is affiliated with the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the Center for Shakespeare Studies. Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.
Tags: Student Graphic Design Southern Utah Museum of Art Art and Design Illustration Photography Filmmaking Art and Design Graduation Community College of Performing and Visual Arts
Contact Information:
Kol Gibson
435-865-8667
kolgibson@suu.edu