Digital Commons Network^™

9th Life Cat Café, Bethany Burbage

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

The 9th Life Cat Café is a cat-themed café based in Queens, New York. Featuring an app prototype with mobile ordering, four large-scale branding concept illustrations, social media ad campaigns, and a large-scale menu, the 9th Life Cat Café is sure to capture your attention with its attentiveness to detail and delicious treats. The color palette and logo are both inspired by a calico cat, which is a breed that is viewed as “good luck” in many cultures. The 9th Life Cat Café also features examples of cats that would be available in shelters to encourage cat adoption from shelters. …

Breaking Borders, Savannah Leach, Savannah Paige Leach

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

My exhibition, Breaking Borders, explores identity, belonging, and the complexities of adoption through various artworks. As a Korean adoptee, I seek to share my struggles and offer diverse perspectives that challenge stereotypes in the adoptee community. I hope to connect with others and confront misconceptions about adoption through showcasing my personal stories.

My collection of illustrations reflects my personal journey as a Korean adoptee through an abstract lens. I opted for a minimalistic illustration style to highlight the themes rather than the aesthetics. I developed a set of posters that resemble those used to promote social awareness. These reinforce the …

Clattergag, Jamie Myres

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Clattergag is an immersive, interactive installation that breaks the white-wall gallery confines to explore childhood nostalgia and whimsy. Fun is the goal. Playing dress up with half a mannequin, or laying in a giant burger are activities you wouldn't usually find in a stuffy gallery. As the viewer interacts with each piece, I want them to sit with their nostalgia and wonder why it is that kids pretend to be adults.

Nostalgia and adulthood are so intermingled, yet the mere presence of one means an absence of the other. Children yearn to be adults, yet it's taboo for an adult …

Transcendence, Cj Nance

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Have you ever experienced hate from those you love the most? From those in the media you admire? Hatred that tells you that your existence should not be allowed? This is my daily experience as a transgender man. Being transgender has given me experiences that I love and experiences that I would never wish upon my worst enemy. Unfortunately, coming out and being out is dangerous for my community, and many transgender people choose to stay hidden. As an artist, I focus on gender identity and transformation that aims to provide courage to other transgender individuals so that they too …

Phylum Phantasma, Hannah Robards

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

In my work, I explore how comfort can be found in discomfort and harrowing situations and how we seek shelter in the world around us. My art takes the form of a ceramic world that is devoid of human life and explores the habitats of various unique creatures and species. My work evokes the feeling of searching for a sense of belonging and how this search can be a complicated one, filled with a variety of different relationships, including beneficial, parasitical, and more. These relationships are present in my ceramic creatures and exemplify the complexity of interaction within our species. …

Fabula Mea, Lindsey Duncan, Lindsey Duncan

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Through digital illustration, I intertwine my personal traumatic experiences with stories from both Greco-Roman and Norse mythology as a means to process and heal. My exhibition, titled Fabula Mea (which is Latin for “my myth”) aims to highlight the effects of abuse, and how I have taken steps to overcome my past experiences.

Myths and folklore have been a special interest of mine for as long as I can remember, specifically of those I have a cultural connection to. These mythologies are laden with tales of struggle with a paternal figure, which is another reason I resonated with these stories. …

Self-Ish, Christine Cox

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Sonder is the realization that every stranger and passerby has a life and experience that is just as complex and vivid as your own. The elderly person beside you on the bus, the couple in the restaurant, the children on the playgrounds, we are all alive for the first time. A concept that seems obvious, but when the time is taken to truly understand it, you also begin to understand humanity as a whole. Every person desires to see the good in the world, and we often turn to grand gestures of hope and stories of human resilience, but we …

The Mart Of 8th Ave, Jacob Zhao

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

1. Identity is extremely valuable but can be a broad category; and it never comes in a box but also with labels, addresses, materials, care, shapes, and sizes. Graphic design is everywhere and I believe its purpose is to create an identity and message but not all messages are for the greater good. Packaging in common food and other products includes labels of misleading or false information. The rules that enforce these labels and most of the time it’s pointless to label on. Words like “Natural” make some foods sound better than what the label implies. People are tricked into buying …

Camp Create, Lyle Smith

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

In life, there are certain feelings and emotions that are better conveyed through art than words alone. Using media such as graphic design and photography, I strive to organize information in a unique and thought-provoking way, and convey emotion through the elements of art and design. In art, I draw from my own experiences and create a time and place where I can ask questions without being interrupted. In design, I combine form and function, and organize elements in a way that is simultaneously logical and visually appealing. I am creating cohesion between photography and graphic design. In short, if …

It Builds Character, Harlene Simmons

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

In the depths of our minds, we carry fragments of our past, pieces of childhood experiences that shape our future selves. Memories, whether warm and joyful, unbearably bad, or insignificant, serve as the building blocks of our character. It is the give and take between these memories and the vices we often keep hidden. My work brings to light the vices that quietly shadow our journey from innocence to adulthood—through methods of printmaking, primarily lithography, I set my childlike self in an empty space to emphasize the idea of memory, however clear or faint it may be. Central to my …

Springlot, Usa, Benson Greenwell

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Utilizing digital media, I design work that embraces the humor and playfulness found even in the darkest of situations and environments. The humor expresses liveliness and absurdity — reminiscent of my childhood — but is reinforced by a mature perspective. It is through designing art that I can explore my witty and sensitive side. My artistic purpose is to put a smile on people’s faces.

This exhibition introduces the fictional town of Springlot, USA, The town acts as a central melting pot for many different tourist traps. The exhibition is inspired by a trip to South Dakota I took with …

Maxwell Place, Leo Fischer

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Leo Fischer

Artist Statement SP24

Last summer, as I was packing my things to move, I found a stack of family photo albums in the attic. I spent hours sitting on the floor of my bedroom going through every single photograph. Many of my memories from the first decade of my life are foggy, as losing a parent at a young age is difficult, and blocking out unpleasant memories is an unconscious, yet common way to cope. There were some things I didn’t recall at all until I was holding pictures of them in my hands. Maxwell Place is a …

Oh My Stars, Abbi Moore

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

I am of the opinion that everyone judges a book by its cover. Why else would books have covers? Visuals are the ultimate first impression. This concept has interested me for a long time. In my work, I try to make the viewer pay attention to information that might otherwise be overlooked by building a connection with the audience when words are the only thing to work with. This is where my love and appreciation of graphic design came from. The idea of organizing art is an interesting concept in itself, but seeing how effective it is when it's carried …

Buried Treasure, Maggie Quertermous

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

One of my most cherished dreams as a child was to have a dog. This past year I was able to adopt a four legged friend that forever changed my life for the better. When walking into that shelter, I immediately wanted to take her home and away from that sad interior. Being able to rescue a dog that I so deeply connected with was something indescribable, but it was sad for the ones left behind. From that experience sprang the idea of Buried Treasure. A bright, exciting place that is full of possibilities for both dogs and people.

Brand …

Exigency, Laurie Snellen

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Birds are very sensitive to environmental changes and indicators to issues surrounding the biodiversity crisis. Exigency, by highlighting common beloved songbirds, allows for a link to the crisis that is so much closer than what many are used to seeing in the news. It also encourages users to explore solutions they can apply in their everyday lives like window stickers for bird strikes or bird boxes for bluebirds.

The relationship between the complexity of nature and the part people play in it has always been of interest. These current works act as a bridge between the environment and the people. …

Seven Recipes To Save Yourself, Megan Bachman

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Food is an undeniable constant. Food can be a declaration of love, gratitude, or wealth. It can be a reflection of individuals, as well as communities. The relationship between a person (or character) and food can speak volumes to the audience about who they are and how they interact with the artist's world. I am inspired by the works of Domee Shi (Director behind Bao and Turning Red) and Hayao Miyazaki (Director behind Studio Ghibli). They use food to further their narrative, and do so with enticing colors, textures, and sounds. That is why I chose to create posters …

Like Pulling Teeth, Sam E. Haines

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Like Pulling Teeth’s album Living and Dying in a Bathtub captures every detail and the drive of a punk band except for the fact that they do not exist, its existence, however, does not negate the impact the lyrics, music, and imagery have in the same way real bands express our emotions and turmoils through their creations. For me, there has always been a strong connection to the grunge and punk music scene - the loud noise and screams about our world’s injustices or personal grievances echo and ring in a captivating manner. Former Dead Kennedys lead singer, Eric “ …

Murder & Merlot: An Interactive Mystery Experience, Madison Johns

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

As a maximalist specializing in illustration, I use common elements to visually connect my work and make the narrative and aesthetic more cohesive. Bold colors and patterns enhance detailed imagery, character design, and environmental design, along with monochromatic and complementary palettes. These elements are often paired with similar typography. All font choices are deliberately representative of the personality of each individual piece and its voice. Each suspect has their own signature font to help the viewer visually connect to the character, but the entirety of Murder & Merlot is branded in such a way that it has a specific heading …

Artistico, Alma Garcia, Alma Angelica Garcia

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

The word Artistico in Spanish references someone gifted with the arts, providing meaning to the name of this fictional self-branded stationary store. Artistico is a paper goods store that provides personalized items with unique and fun designs. The products are composed of elements like packaging, posters, illustrations, notebooks, pins, greeting cards and more. The body of work as weel as the logotype is unified by the bold and dynamic typeface, Comfortaa. Artistico embraces vivid colors, fun patterns and clean designs that create a strong brand identity.

Recieving a piece of high-quality perzonalized stationary feels meaninful. As an artist I express …

Clamor Of A Catalyst, Gretchen Ruth

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

The beauty of change and time are found in cycles of destruction and rebirth. Time is active, spitting out transformed versions of everything in a constant cycle it remains as an ever present inevitability of existence. To adjust with this transformation can be stifling as much as relieving. This body of work focuses on repurposing found materials while pondering the inherent nature of change.

Some objects are left to collect dust and remain as they are. Every object questions what is truly disposable. Do the things we throw away remain discarded forever? To challenge this, I cultivate an art practice …

Finding Solace, Cassie Melcher, Cassie Victoria Melcher

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

In a world filled with heavy overwhelmingness, the creatures I sculpt help root myself and the viewer in a lighter, gentler place. The creatures have diverse body shapes and sizes, colors, and an exploration of pattern and texture with a focus on tactility. I want viewers to feel compelled to touch or engage personally with my sculptures, and for the creatures to live through the viewers by interacting with them or their environment. This brings moments of curiosity, self-acceptance, or compassion. Though we are often overburdened with negative thoughts, our inner critics speaking louder than anyone in the room, my …

Olive Branch, Abigail Kyle

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Art has become a means for me to reflect on and understand myself and my surroundings. When I experience something beautiful, I want to keep that moment with me. When I feel joy or confusion or grief, I search for a way to both process and visualize those emotions. This desire to express and capture emotion drives my creative process through photography and design.

Photography can only say so much about who someone is on the inside, but I have a desire to photograph in a way that connects a person’s outward and inward self—I want glimpses of their true …

Corporeal Forms, Ella Curran

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

The human body is the only tangible thing that connects us to the earth. So much is contained within it, at the same time so much happens around it - including ongoing attempts to politicize and regulate bodies in our contemporary climate. We are bound by forces outside of ourselves. Whether the limitation is self-inflicted, relational, or societal, it asks for reflection. My practice is a response to these forces, an assertion of my physical self onto materials that become a record of my presence. Through the labor and performance involved in creating this work, I perceive myself. It gives …

Cosmic Displacement, Meg Slatton

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

In my work, I explore the concepts of humor, identity, and fiction. I have always had a desire to make others laugh and use humor to express broader concepts. I plant humor into my work through telling engaging stories. Being able to create fictional worlds and otherworldly experiences is something I have an interest in; and it’s something that I am continuing to pursue. Most importantly, I’m exploring issues of identity within my works. I am specifically focusing on the themes of ethnicity, race, sexuality, and self-acceptance in these current pieces. I am incorporating the unique elements of my identity …

Scavenging For Narrative, Jesus Gallegos Moreno

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

rowing up in a “rancho” (small farming village) in Durango, Mexico, I only learned one way to “live”: to move forward relentlessly, no matter how many barriers slow you down along the way. Some of the people in the village were stuck at a standstill in their life, with no clear ambition or trajectory on the horizon. With increasing stagnation surrounding me, the world I saw outside of that small village was so incredibly big and vibrant, with so many experiences just waiting to be lived.

I strive to show my way of life as …

Honey, I'M Home, Kaley Shackelford

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Within my current work, I explore the tension between surface appearances and the complicating phenomena, emotions, and circumstances that lie underneath. The stories I tell are grounded in my everyday experiences as a woman, as well as familial, ancestral, and communal observations. My work utilizes motifs such as irons, laundry baskets, and kitchenware that are attached to traditional gender roles, examining the tension that these items emit and, at the forefront, how I have internalized it. This deeply contrasts with my love for the domestic and its ability to foster moments of intimate care and bonding, which also emerges within …

Instropection: Another World, Gabby Gillette, Gabby M. Gillette

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

For 20 years I experienced physical, emotional, verbal, and mental abuse at the hands of my biological mother. At an early age I had to face the harsh reality of my situation and develop skills that helped me survive day-to-day, but that left me with a very skewed idea of who I was as a person. But the one thing that I knew for certain about myself was that I loved to create. I would write stories and draw characters as an escape, and as I got older I would build bigger and more elaborate worlds to explore until it …

Eden, Kay Yount, Kay Yount

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

Eden is a show based around the concept of love. Love can be clean, messy, warm, cold, good, bad,it can be conditional or unrequited. Love is enigmatic— no one understands or experiences it exactly the same. I wanted to find a way to capture a part of this thing that I crave, something that is so close and yet so far out of reach. This exhibition is my way of giving to others my conception of Love in my own way.

Eden is a garden occupied by the two lovers, a cyclops and a blind prince. In secret, the two …

In The Church Of My Girlhood, Daisy Slucher

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

I often find myself overwhelmed when I look back at history and see the pattern of violence against women. It can feel as if this is the way that things will always be, but I don’t want to accept that. In the Church of My Girlhood is a body of work birthed from these feelings of powerlessness. Instead of shrinking back in fear, it aims to make and take up space and fight back against these systems in ways I wish I would choose more often in my own life. The pieces reflect on my own experiences as a woman …

Suicide: A Transition, Chad Reeder

B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498)

I have been shaped by loss. My art is deeply personal and is directly informed by the effects of suicide. My photographs and videos are a way to confront the reality of losing so many loved ones, as a way to reconnect to the world by seeking friendships through conversations about suicide. This is in order for the viewer to be presented with themes and formalities which challenges the stigma of suicide in order to save lives.

Suicide is something that cannot be left alone or not talked about. My works challenge the way one perceives suicide to reflect a …