An exhibition this week will highlight the work of three seniors in Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s School of Art and Design.
Works by seniors Marshall Darnell, Carla Keels and Ashlee Little will be on exhibition from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12, through Friday, Dec. 15, in the Allyn Building’s Vergette Gallery on campus. A reception in the gallery is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16.
Each of the students will present various artworks as part of their Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) thesis requirement to graduate, said Antonio Martinez, associate professor and head of undergraduate studies in the School of Art and Design.
“These exhibitions add an opportunity for our students to share their work with the community,” Martinez said.
Throughout the semester, students develop and refine their ideas, while receiving feedback and guidance from their instructors and peers, Martinez said.
“A thesis exhibition is an opportunity for students to have their work publicly displayed as a way to celebrate the time and energy that went into developing their ideas and to reflect upon the creative outcome of each student’s project,” he said.
Darnell, a senior from Ellisville, Missouri, majoring in drawing, has described his work as an “introspective exploration” and has been developing his thesis work over the past two semesters, said Erin Palmer, an associate professor in painting and drawing.
Carla Keels , a senior from Murphysboro majoring in communication design, has advertisement posters, a short animation, and a custom AI generated book that interrogates the use of artificial intelligence generators, she said. Keels will graduate in May 2024.
Little, a senior from Creal Springs majoring in communication design who will graduate on Dec. 16, has a thesis project centered on creating a bees wrap product called “Queen Bee” and its packaging design. In her statement, Little stated the concept is creating a honey wrap brand through advertising via social media, grocery stores and billboards to target eco-friendly consumers.
