Over the past week, seniors enrolled in the school of art and design have been installing their pieces for the winter 2013 senior exhibition, entitled “Limited Space.”
The exhibition began on Wednesday, April 17 and will run through Friday, May 3. “Limited Space” features the work of 68 graduating seniors, with each student displaying one to several pieces. A majority of the student work was created primarily for the show, said director of the DeVos Art Museum Melissa Matuscak.
“It’s the culmination of the student’s time at NMU — they have been working on these projects specifically for this exhibition,” Matuscak said. “It’s also a chance for the NMU and local communities to see what the students are doing in the school of art and design.”
Some students, such as senior art education major Jacqui Carroll, created projects for the exhibit that were in some ways a continuation of previous works.
“I was inspired by a piece I did in Christine Flavin’s alternative photography class, but every piece you see on the wall was done this semester,” Carroll said.
Carroll’s display features six images taken with a handmade pinhole camera and developed in the darkroom.
“Because of the nature of the homemade camera, I never knew how my images would turn out,” Carroll said.
Carroll said her work focuses on “play as discovery,” with the images featuring her childhood animal toys.
“When thinking of the word ‘play,’ my mind immediately went back to the hours I spent with my toys, crawling through the grass and wishing I was one of them,” Carroll said.
Carroll said the installation of her work was fairly painless due to the help of her classmates and a teacher.
“No man or woman is an island,” Carroll said. “I feel blessed to be involved in such a supportive community.”
Senior graphic communication major Cody Ross said his display was different from the others considering the medium of creation.
“I think mine was uniquely difficult because I am the first student to create a piece on an iPad,” Ross said. “Digital publication are still fairly new to the design world and to the curriculum here at NMU, so I was basically the ‘guinea pig’ for the department.”
The inspiration for the iPad magazine, titled “Chronicles,” came from Ross’ involvement on campus and fascination with people. Ross said the piece portrays the idea that everyone we know has an interesting story or life experience but we don’t always take the time to discover them.
“I was inspired to make an iPad magazine because while I am a graphic designer by trade, I also have extensive experience in photography and videography and a passion for them,” Ross said. “So by creating an iPad magazine, I was able to combine all three areas of art and design I enjoy.”
The reception for the 2012 senior art exhibition will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 3. At 8 p.m., the awards for Best in Show and Best in Graphics will be announced.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday and Friday, noon to 8 p.m. on Thursday and 1 to 4 p.m. on weekends. For more information, call the DeVos Art Museum at (906) 227-2235.
