An exhibition featuring works by 10 students at SUNY Fredonia will be on display from Dec. 2 to 11 in the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery.
“Ateliesque,” the Department of Visual Arts and New Media’s fall senior show, opens with a reception on Friday, Dec. 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. “Ateliesque” is a play on the word “atelier” (artist’s workshop or studio) and represents the exhibition participants’ transitional place between student and professional.
The exhibition includes artwork by 10 seniors: nine Animation and Illustration majors – Mad Armstrong (Deposit), Grace Dixon (Newfane), Ryan Ludu (Wellsville), Wyatt Malave (Laurel), Penn Mant (Maybrook), Don Marotta (Miller Place), Kathryn Marotta (Miller Place), MaryBeth Meier (Shrub Oak), and Isabella Read (Wilmington); and one Photography major – Derek Raymond (Malone).
Armstrong writes of her futuristic city illustrations, “Writers such as Ray Bradbury have given me perspective on the wonders and dangers that come when technology advances quickly beyond our comprehension of its pitfalls. I tend on the side of optimism, portraying my sci-fi futuristic worlds as places that have grown to adapt and become eco-friendlier.”
Dixon’s project includes illustration, animation, photography, music, and merchandise designs related to her concept album “Zatrikion” which is “about maturity, self-identity, and overcoming experiences of trauma under the lens of fantasy visuals and a mental game of chess.”
Ludu’s graphic booklet "Hazmat Witch” is a comic about a witch exploring the post-apocalypse. He initiated the project two years ago as a webcomic.
In two chapters from his graphic story “Cosmic Dawn," Malave introduces us to young physicist Eliseo Cuda who is on a journey to solve a global conspiracy which eventually turns into a galactic mystery.
Mant writes of her objective, “In this day and age when climate change and regressive policies threaten our environment, we need to care about protecting what is here more than ever.” Her illustrations of flora and fauna attest to her careful research and consideration of environmental issues.
The goal of Don Marotta’s fashion illustration series, titled “Gloat Couture,” is to introduce realistic body types to the fashion world with creative and fun designs.
Lycanthropy, the supernatural transformation of a person into a wolf, is the subject matter of Kathryn Marotta’s animation and movie posters. She was influenced by movies such as "The Wolfman,” “Ginger Snaps,” and “An American Werewolf in London,” as well as vintage horror posters.
In the painting series titled “Folded,” Meier was challenged to create a series of paintings of the human form with a limited palette. The contrasting red cube in each painting symbolizes a lifelong struggle with art. The cube also represents personal evolution and growth as well as stability and confinement.
Inspired by the uncanny produce photographs of Edward Weston (American, 1886-1958), Raymond also focuses on macro photography to explore the abstract qualities of ordinary objects. He writes of his series “The Shape of Light,” “I do not see the object as a bottle for example; I see the shape it makes, and the interaction that shape has with the others on the table, in the background, and within itself.”
Read focuses on unusual graphic t-shirts in her “BuzyInks Shirt Design” project. She describes them as “Creepy Pattern” designs that focus on spooky and surreal illustrations.
“Ateliesque” is supported by the Fredonia College Foundation’s Cathy and Jesse Marion Endowment Fund, and the Friends of Rockefeller Arts Center.
The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. The Marion Art Gallery is located on the main level of Rockefeller Arts Center on the Fredonia campus.
Gallery hours are: Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.; Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.; and by appointment. For more information or to schedule a group tour of the exhibition, contact Gallery Director Barbara Räcker at 716-673-4897 or via email.
