Senior Art Exhibition 2022

This exhibition features the Senior Art Inquiry projects of graphic design, art history and studio art majors in Augustana College’s Class of 2022.

Each student’s work is accompanied by a statement sharing their perspectives and intentions for the artwork. The work in this exhibition was created as a culmination of their classes and individual development as artists and graphic designers.

Special thanks go to Jennifer Saintfort, interim museum director, and the faculty members of studio art, graphic design and art history for their help in making this exhibition possible.

All images and photos of artworks courtesy of the artists.

Artists

Erica Amdal is from Winnebago, Ill., majoring in anthropology and art, with a minor in graphic design.

"An enticing irony between the spirituality movement and the body-positivity movement unfolded at the forefront of social media. The dichotomy of an individual being more than their physical form, while simultaneously having to appreciate and love their physical form, inspired my tongue-in-cheek interpretation of one’s body as an insignificant meat-suit..."

Lindsey Johnson is an art major from Rockford, Ill.

"I hope that this can show how beautiful all different body types can truly be. I do want to emphasize that these are nude drawings; they are not meant to be portrayed in a sexual or provocative manner. Though these figures are beautiful, it is time to end the objectification of the naked body. We all need to start realizing that each individual's body is their own and is not existing for others."

Lauren Lynn Barton is a graphic design major from Burgess, Ill.

""Political Discourse" visually represents the multiple, harmful impacts of politics on all types of life. These works incorporate the political repercussions on the economy as well as how politics has affected peoples’ worldviews, especially in terms of the pandemic. I used the scale of the work to provide large visuals that symbolize the huge, yet negative, impact of the political world."

Pyone Htet is from Yangon, Myanmar, majoring in graphic design and business administration/marketing.

"The Self-Love series features my positive and negative spaces in life that reflect the relationship that I have built with myself and how I have come to understand myself. Based on the lines, my illustrations express the journey of finding myself. My positive space focuses on subjects that symbolize my emotions. My illustrations are closely associated with conscious states of the mind which Wikipedia defines as part of the phenomenal experience that occurs within the owner's mind, with or without consciousness."

Sophie Osborn is from Lisle, Ill., majoring in psychology and art.

"My body of work is greatly influenced by the concept of a “rage room.” A rage room is essentially a place where people go to smash items for fun. I integrated it into a form of art therapy, and by doing this I have allowed it to be a creative outlet which I can use to find my way through difficult situations. I have chosen to focus mainly on anger because I have not seen a solid outlet for it, I have mainly seen ways to manage it but not really a good way for people (myself included) to actually feel their anger and to be able to process it instead of delaying it and bottling it up."

Jinsoo Park is a graphic design major from Seoul, South Korea.

"There are many reasons for making art. For me, I usually make art so that I can express my feelings, emotions in the art and by the art. I want my art to be easy to approach, easy to understand, but also want the audience to find more meaning by looking closer and thinking once more about it."

Isabel Warner is a graphic design major from Elgin, Ill.

"For my Senior Inquiry, I have created an animated triptych called 'Timeless Illusions' which revolves around the topic of overthinking. These animations are inspired by one of my favorite songs “Overthinker” by the DJ Inzo. This song features quotes by Alan Watts, the well-known writer and philosopher. The quotes are from one of Watts’ speeches about overthinking and the idea that it has the power to distort your reality. These words are surrounded by illustrations of skeletons and psychedelic patterns."

Elisa Wynn is a graphic design and art history major and Chinese minor from Channahon, Ill.

"Framed as a museum exhibit, my project examines Victorian mourning culture focusing on its impact on the lives of women from different social classes. Drawing on evidence from museum collections and stories from Victorian women, I argue that mourning and its associated material culture created both limiting and liberating experiences for women."