Moore College Senior Show

Cause for hope from Moore's senior students

F. LENNOX CAMPELLO

In my last review I mentioned that, because I’m curating a traveling exhibition of undergraduate art student work, in the last few months I’ve seen a lot of student art from East Coast schools and universities.

I’ve been mostly on the unimpressed side of the opinion poll, but Moore College’s Senior Show somewhat restored my faith not only in the quality of student work, but that someone at Moore is teaching students how to present their work professionally.

This annual exhibition features work by seniors in each of Moore’s various programs: fine arts, fashion design, graphic design, interior design, textile design, illustration, art education and art history.

A word to the fine art majors: Take a look around this show. Some of the best works come from the “other” majors.

A word to Moore show advisors: As I mentioned in my last review, artwork is either for sale with a price or not for sale (NFS); there’s no such thing as “POR” or “price on request” or “contact artist,” etc. Art is not seasonal fish and art exhibitions are not restaurant menus. Artwork in a gallery exhibition is either for sale or not.

That said, this exhibition at Moore is by far the best student show that I’ve seen in years. Other than the pricing baloney, the work is superbly presented to full professional and conservation standards, the galleries look attractive, and most of the artwork is of the highest quality.

Command of process and delivery

I was taken by both the presentation and the very contemporary substrate used by Melanie Bergwall (a textile design major) in her digital prints on acetate. Bergwall suspended them in sets of three to a print— that is, each piece has three layers, which when viewed from the front jell into a final image. It’s a smart presentation that almost makes us forget their stylized subjects that almost look like ads in a European style magazine. Bergwall’s command of her process and eye-catching final delivery makes her work easily one of the best in the show.

Krista Rothwell, an exceptional painter, carries the flag for her fellow fine arts majors with three superb paintings. Here’s an artist with an enviable understanding of contemporary realism’s ability to strike home when technical skill is married to strong composition and subtle commentary. At around $1,500 to $2,000 each for very large paintings, her works are also the best deals in the exhibition for art collectors.

During my first walkthrough I dismissed Jessa Eiser’s work, probably because I found her painting a little heavy-handed. But the subject matter, which is somewhat dark and even a little macabre, brought me back to look at them closely— and that, by itself, signifies success for any artist.

Stations of the Cross

Roseanne D’Andrea's large installation in three pieces dominates its gallery and easily steals the initial focus of attention. In the piece, three identical settings offer interesting perspectives on Christianity. The first—titled VI. Veronica Wipes The Face of Jesus— has a lovely display of free-floating paper masks. It borrows from the Biblical reference of the woman who wiped Christ’s face during one of the stations of the cross; according to Biblical legend, Christ’s face was them inprinted onto her cloth. In this case it’s an excellent use of materials and space.

The center piece, titled VII. Jesus Falls for the Second Time, is somewhat of a minimalist presentation of the cross; lettered nails are used to spell words on the cross itself. The last piece is perhaps the least successful of the three, as the artist went a little overboard. In VIII. Jesus Meets the Women, we see half of a heavyset figure, clad in modern Catholic vestiments, climb up atop a pile with odd found objects in it.

D’Andrea’s installation is a triumphant achievement for both the artist and for Moore, and easily on a par with more experienced installation artists. She’s ready for the real art world out there.

Been there, done that

On the other side of the installation spectrum was the adequate but too-familiar Family Room by Samantha Hill. It’s interesting and no doubt full of meaning and power for the artist, but this theme has been visited so often that it has lost its novelty.

I also liked Amy Spearing’s Growth, a small sculpture of a tree on which each leaf consists of tiny images.

Selena Anderson is an illustration major, but her “illustrations” in this exhibition easily cross the border into “high art”: Similar work is routinely exhibited in fine art galleries simply as art. In this artist’s talented hands, the line between art and illustration grows fuzzy. I suspect that Ms. Anderson will find a good reception in gallery walls in the near future.

I’m a really tough judge of artists’ videos, as most of them remind me of home movies. At Moore I discovered Lauren Albert, another illustration major, whose art video– because of her major– is identified as “animation.” It’s a very cool and artsy video, many times more interesting and attention-grabbing than “real” videos of the same ilk that I’ve seen in countless exhibitions since the genre was born in the ’60s.

A positive nod to fine arts major Catherine Badger’s chaotic and beautifully catastrophic watercolors and cool titles (Psychedelic Sausage Factory is one of them).

Lastly, another rising star in this exhibition is Erika Risko (art education), whose absolutely gorgeous conte drawings on paper dominate the hallway where they are hung and perhaps the show. Her Martyrdom employs a nude body in parts to show a nude female figure in the classical crucifixion pose. Because of its size and technical facililty, as well as the presentation, it’s a superb piece. And at $600 it’s also another steal.