Next week, three University of Mississippi Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates will present their artwork for their senior thesis shows in Gallery 130 in Meek Hall.
Beginning Monday (Nov. 17) and running through Nov. 21, Julia Tatum, Jonathan Adams, and Desiree Kapler will exhibit their talents in graphic design, painting and photography, respectively.
Each show has evolved from a theme that materialized within each student.
Julia Tatum, who graduates in December with her BFA in studio art, will show a collection of fabrics presented as “The Gathering,” a tribute to her family and the beauty of fall.
Her inspiration developed inside her grandmother’s national landmark home, Ammadelle, a Civil War-era Italianate mansion on North Lamar Boulevard in Oxford. She values the home as a centerpiece for her and her family.
“My grandmother’s home is where I began to acquire a taste for the decorative and fluid designs,” Tatum said. “The decor in the home inspired me to create designs to mimic the ornate patterns as preserved memories.”
Jonathan Adams, also graduating in December, came to Ole Miss to study criminal justice, but instead will leave with his BFA in painting. His show, “Sacrosanct,” creates a dialogue that intertwines what he has been told in life with life experiences he holds sacred.
“I think ‘Sacrosanct’ is fitting,” Adams said. “I am trying to raise awareness that there are people of faith that are in love with someone of the same sex.”
He says it’s an actuality that should never be taken away from anyone.
“We create ourselves by layering information,” Adams said. “I like to think about that when I paint.”
Lastly, Desiree Kapler, also graduating in December, might as well have emerged from the womb, camera-in-hand. Her grandfather was a photographer and her mother is an artist. She has been surrounded by cameras her entire life, so she said her BFA in imaging arts was inevitable.
“The camera is a part of who I am, a way for me to watch myself and to watch others,” Kapler said. “If someone looked at my genetic code, they would probably see spirals of film from a long line of artists who passed down their passion.”
Her show, “Exposed,” explores the frustrating fears and anxieties that many women face as a result of society’s pressures.
“We (women) are not objects of lust or shameful, nameless masses for society’s judgments,” Kapler said. “We’re women – facing the world and feeling ‘Exposed.'”
Each student has enjoyed remarkable success in their years at Ole Miss. The future holds dreams of grad school and then careers in their respective artistic medium.
To learn more about the artists, check out the show beginning Monday and see for yourself what these students have accomplished artistically.