Arts & Culture

Open Studio Ready to Deck Your Walls

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 30, 2015)  This holiday season the University of Kentucky School of Art and Visual Studies will throw open the doors for their first ever Open Studio in the new Art and Visual Studies Building on campus. The popular annual event known for showcasing the talents of the university's undergraduate and graduate students and celebrated art faculty in a festive atmosphere is sure to be the best yet in the sprawling new facility located at 236 Bolivar Street. Open Studio, scheduled from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, is free and open to the public but a $5 donation is suggested.

This fall has been the first semester in UK's Art and Visual Studies Building after more than 50 years in the Reynolds Building. The school celebrated its opening with a ribbon cutting in September.

UK School of Art and Visual Studies from University of Kentucky on Vimeo. Video by Jenny Wells, UK Public Relations and Marketing.

Open Studio will give the public a chance to tour the new building and view artwork by current students. The studios of graduates and select undergraduates will be open with the young artists present to talk about their ongoing projects. A variety of artwork will be on display including metalwork, fiber, paintings, photographs, drawings, ceramics, plaster casts, printmaking and woodwork.

In addition, the festivities for Open Studio include:

· the Carey Ellis Juried Student Art Exhibition featuring pieces by graduate and undergraduate art students (an awards ceremony will take place during the event);

· an art sale, including the popular ceramic bowl sale;

· crafts and activities for children provided by the students of the Art Education Program; and

· live performances and refreshments.

The current Master of Fine Arts students with studios in the Art and Visual Studies Building are: Michael Bell, Esther Chin, Madison Cowles, Tianlan Deng, Todd Herzberg, Trey Jolly, Alexandra LeNeave, Rachel Moser, Alan Serna and Caleb Williams.

Michael Bell comes from Jacksonville, Florida.  He earned his bachelor's degree from University of North Florida and began a career as an art educator for the public school system before coming to UK. Bell has studied sculpture under two of UK's alumni, Jenny Hagar and Lance Vickery. Through them he entered into the sculpture family that grew out of the UK College of Fine Arts program. 

Esther Chin says her art is "the truth of my heart through which I speak." From Jamaica, Chin's passion for art was encouraged by her mother and grandmother who allowed her to use the interior and exterior of her home as canvas. She earned a bachelor's degree with honors from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts and has exhibited in various shows including "Natural Histories "at the National Gallery of Jamaica. 

Madison Cowles was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming. She has lived all over the United States, providing many diverse experiences. She received her bachelor's degree with a concentration in printmaking from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Cowles' artwork explores the psychological and emotional states of the individual. She investigates these ideas through printmaking, drawing and painting.  

Tianlan Deng began his studies at UK in 2013 after earning a bachelor's degree in Chinese painting at Shanghai University, in Shanghai, China. Deng's interests lie in defining the new contemporary younger Chinese identity, and he is producing a project in relation to the contemporary Chinese education system, which plays a crucial role in defining the younger Chinese identity. Deng also has won a large design commission from the Gatton College of Business and Economics.

Todd Herzberg is an artist originally from Michigan. He received his bachelor's degree from Central Michigan University. Herzberg is a co-founder and president of the Lexington Guild of Printmakers. He has exhibited in multiple regional and international exhibitions, and is in private collections in nine different countries.

Trey Jolly is an artist and photographer based in Lexington. He received his bachelor's degree from Georgetown College in biological sciences. His recent work explores the environmental, cultural and political issues that surround central Appalachia. As a native of of Eastern Kentucky, he grew up accustomed to watching the media misrepresent Appalachia with stereotypical views and two-dimensional narratives, providing him a unique backgroun and perspective for his art.

Alexandra Corrinne LeNeave is a conceptual artist. Crossing the mediums of photography, video, performance and installation, LeNeave focuses on personal insecurities within her family and relationships to family members at the end of their lives. She is strongly influenced by the paradigms of a daughter and a granddaughter and seeks the answer to questions: what does it mean to be a family member? And is there a perfection to this role? 

Rachel “Rowe” Moser is an artist whose work includes performance, video, installation, sound and dance. Moser graduated from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle with a bachelor's degree in dance and motion design. Influences and inspiration come from Moser's many years being immersed in movement practice and performance dancing and touring as a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet. 

Alan Serna is a Kentucky-based printmaker from Huanusco, Zacatecas. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Serna’s current work is inspired by the unseen nature of formal and informal economies, as well as international conflicts, and their resulting effects on their citizens. A first generation immigrant and dual citizen, Serna looks to his personal experiences, as well as those of loved ones, to imbue his work with strong personal narratives.

Caleb Williams is a painter and sculptor who was born in Western Kentucky. He studied philosophy and art studio at Western Kentucky University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy. Williams’ art deals with themes of spirituality, consumerism and questions contemporary cultural symbolism. His work has been included in several group sculpture shows, the most recent of which at Eyedrum Gallery in Atlanta for the Midsouth Sculpture Alliance. 

The UK School of Art and Visual Studies in the UK College of Fine Arts is an accredited member of the National Association of Art and Design and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of art studio, art history and visual studies and art education.

To hear Rob Jensen, director of the UK School of Art and Visual Studies, talk about the new facility and Open Studio on "UK at the Half" interview click on the play button below.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu