The Foster Gallery is pleased to present the Spring Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition, The Final Chapter, on view through May 9th, 2021. This exhibition features art and design capstone projects by ten University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire Bachelor of Fine Arts senior candidates. Participants include Taylor Wilkinson, Jake Borchert, Caroline Hehir, Madelyn Wood, Sarah Ryan, Sarah Stresnak, Caleb Carr, Keri Ogden, Alyssa Alcorta, and Meghan Adlington.
The Foster Gallery is currently open for UWEC students, faculty, and staff. All Foster Gallery events are free. Gallery hours are Mon-Fri 10am-4:30pm, Sat and Sun 1-4:30pm, and Thurs eve 6-8pm. A virtual reception is scheduled for Friday, May 7, 6:30pm on Zoom. Join the Foster Gallery, the department of Art & Design, and the student artists in celebrating this exhibition. Virtual reception to include video tour, trivia and prizes, and a musical performance.
Taylor Wilkinson, "Collin"
Taylor Wilkinson is senior photography BFA candidate. Taylor’s photography focuses on the human form and how society affects the way the human body is viewed. Her ideas stem from personal experience and from the media. In her work, she makes the viewer question the way western society portrays the human body. After graduation, she will attend the University of Minnesota- Duluth for the post baccalaureate teacher licensure program to become a certified art educator.
Jake Borchert, "Forseti"
Jake Borchert is a senior illustration BFA candidate from Saint Paul, Minnesota. He will be displaying a body of digital paintings featuring character and landscape concept art. Two series: one follows an original Viking Character, while the other follows the Marvel Comics character, Cyclops. Jakes writes, “My art is focused on storytelling, with fictional characters and landscapes that are meant to transport the viewer into a fictional setting. My color and lighting influences come from N.C. Wyeth, while my rendering of my characters comes from a wide array of artists - from comic book artists like Jim Lee and Alex Ross, to artists working in the video game industry like Isaac Hannaford and Nicolas Bouvier “Sparth”.”
Caroline Hehir, "Identity. Nature. Discovery." (1 of 5)
Caroline Hehir is a senior photography BFA candidate from Weston, Wisconsin. She will be showing two different series of works dealing with her connection to nature. One will be in the form of embroidered self-portraits, and the other is a series of digital collages. Caroline says, “I am highly influenced by natures scenery and sounds around me. It is a space where I can clear my head and listen to what nature is telling me. I use my inspiration along with my love of my artistic process to produce beautiful aesthetic and tactile pieces. My work emphasizes the use of color to make impactful statements and evoke emotions from viewers.”
Madelyn Wood, "Fetish"
Madelyn Wood is a senior painting and drawing BFA candidate from Plymouth, Minnesota. Wood will be displaying lace paintings and sculptural paintings that focus on the contemporary idea of identity. Pulling inspiration from contemporary artists such as Lara Schnitger and Marela Zacarias, Madelyn says her work “walks a line between things that are visually hard and soft”, using a mixture of hardware, soft nylon, and lace inspired by experiences with gender and sexuality.
Sarah Ryan, "gushers"
Sarah Ryan is a senior illustration BFA candidate from Onalaska, Wisconsin, who will be presenting an artwork series of five drawn and painted fruits on found surfaces. The series transitions in size, medium, and style to speak to a shifting perspective of value. Sarah says, “I would describe this series as an exploration of the elements that contribute to the value of an art piece. My time in the art department influenced me to connect my interests in abstracted and representational work. I wanted to invoke a conversation with myself as well as the audience to analyze what elements contribute to the value of an artwork.”
Sarah Stresnak, "Sankara"
Sarah Stresnak is a senior illustration BFA candidate from New Prague and Shakopee, MN. Stresnak’s projects started loosely based on the four elements of earth, fire, water, and air. She uses both stoneware clay and oil paintings to create 3D and 2D artworks of fantasy landscapes reminiscent of imaginary worlds she created as a child. Sarah states, “They are meant to be playful and to create a world people can imagine themselves in.”
Caleb Carr, "THE COST" installation view
Caleb Carr is a senior illustration BFA candidate from Hollandale, Wisconsin, who will be exhibiting a large work that is made from barbed wire and wooden fenceposts. The piece talks about the overwhelming cost of college and the crushing amount of hourly wage work it takes to survive as a college student. Caleb says, “I would describe my work as conceptual. I like to have an idea of what the themes of the project are before I choose my materials. For instance, I decided I wanted to do a project that was about work. I’m exhausted here at the end of college and I’m thinking about summers spent fencing on the farm back home. If I made an art piece that uses the techniques of barbed-wire fencing, then my working process [AND] materials support the conceptual goals of the project. I like to have all of the actions and qualities surrounding a work of art to communicate something.”
Keri Ogden, "Symphony"
Keri Ogden is senior graphic design BFA candidate from McFarland and Madison, Wisconsin. Ogden will be exhibiting three digital prints that combine qualities of digital painting, collage, and poster design. Keri writes, “These three pieces are meant to show the biggest academic influences I’ve had in college: art, music, and computer programming. Some elements are in a hand-drawn style, but most are more polished icons and shapes. I relied heavily on icons to get my message across, so I used musical notation, common programming words/symbols, and the tool icons seen in Adobe software.”
Alyssa Alcorta, "Musk Ox"
Alyssa Alcorta is a senior illustration BFA candidate from Suamico, Wisconsin, who will be exhibiting prints of three digital paintings that focus on animals. They each portray a species that has a fantastical exaggeration to one or more of the prominent features. This is to bring attention to how much the viewer knows about both the physical aspects and behaviors of the animals that exist today. Alyssa says, “My main influence for my artwork is influenced from Ivan Belikov’s work. I wanted to do a more graphic approach to the rendering of the animals while still maintaining a high level of detail in the work. I also chose to use vibrant colors in the pieces to portray the animals in an exciting way.”
Meghan Adlington, "Greece"
Meghan Adlington is a senior painting and drawing BFA candidate who will be displaying six 18in x 18in abstract oil paintings on canvas. The abstract forms in the paintings are based on maps of Meghan’s favorite places such as Greece, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Along with researching cartography, colors and paint application are loosely influenced by Adlington’s memories and sentiment with these places.
