Graduating Seniors in Studio Art Program Present Final Exhibition
The Senior Seminar Capstone Art Exhibition showcases the diverse talents and creative achievements of senior students graduating in spring 2023 from the American University Studio Art Program. Through their work, they explore a diverse range of themes and issues, from personal identity and social justice, to abstract forms and realistic representations. The exhibition includes a range of mediums in photography, installation, painting, drawing, and more. The show represents the culmination of their studies in the Undergraduate Studio Art BA and the Photography BA programs at AU.
The Undergraduate Studio Art BA program provides students with the tools and critical frameworks necessary to engage ambitiously with the historical and contemporary criteria for making art. The Photography BA program is designed for students interested in all forms of photography, from fine art to photojournalism.
The Senior Seminar Capstone Art Exhibition is a celebration of the hard work, dedication, and creation that they have acquired throughout their time at AU. We are thrilled to present the exhibition to the public and invite you to join us in celebrating the success of our senior students. On view through May 2, 2023.
We asked these students how they have evolved as artists since enrolling at AU.
Katie Mead
Instagram: @katiemeadart
Katie's website
“I've come a long way as an artist since I was a freshman. While I've been creating for as long as I can remember, only in the past year or two have I felt as though I've scratched the surface of figuring out what it is that I want to make art about. My classes in my junior and senior year helped me a lot to figure this path out for myself, and I think that this can be seen in my artwork as I began to narrow down on the interlocking themes that I want to explore in my work.”
Jonah Peterson
Instagram: @jp.flix
“While I have always loved street photography and the simplicity of it, I believe my work (while much of it has remained in a street photography style) has become more focused, more complex, and is saying something more than the work I did as a freshman or a sophomore.”
Barisa Rahman
Instagram: @barisar01
“I have evolved in a way where I'm more confident about my work and I am willing to take risks in terms of the materials I use.”
Dantong Lou (Zoe)
Instagram: @zoeloudt
“喜恶同因 is an idiom in Chinese, which means that different people will like you or hate you because of the same reason. As an artist, I've been judged more and more polarized. At the same time, my art works are becoming purer; what matters is what I want to do, not what I am asked to do.”
Ally Kraus
Instagram: @ally.k
“One major way I've seen art change my life is being able to see the beauty in almost anything or anyone. Art has made my experience of the world much more enjoyable and exciting. My art has made me more observant and social through connections I have made through my art.”
Hailee Arrington
Instagram: @hailee_arrington
“I have expanded to using different mediums besides just painting, including collage and sculpture. I have also improved my technique and understanding of color and form. The biggest change to my work, is my increased utilization of abstraction which I think is representative of my changing view of art as a whole, and what art means to me personally.”