More than 30 Davis & Elkins College students and alumni will display their creative works at the Arts Center through the end of February. The visual art exhibit opens with a public reception from 5 – 7 p.m. Friday, January 28 featuring student work in the Great Hall and a solo exhibition by alumnus Nick Altman ’19 in the Maxwell Gallery.
The work is that of student art majors, minors and other students taking art courses between 2018 and 2022. The exhibit will include more than 60 paintings, prints, ceramic and 3D sculptural pieces.
Students and alumni displaying their work are Mia Mendoza of Chino Hills, California; Gracie Janas of Carnegie, Pennsylvania; Lavania Lemasters of Stonewood; Marissa Berlin of Akron, Ohio; Juan Amann of Getxo, Spain; Shakira Hamilton of Jamaica, New York; Molly Jandris of Holtsville, New York; Emily Adams of Buckhannon; Charlotte Layman of Clarksburg; Haley Levines of Washington, Pennsylvania; Robert Fields of Pecks Mill; Natasha MacKey of Rock Cave; Elysia Cain of Salem; Emily Reeves of Buckhannon; Linsey Westfall of Keyser; Gavin Isner of Elkins; Katyanna Metheny of Elkins; Savannah Metheny of Elkins; Tom Schad of Bowie, Maryland; Anna Ellenbogen of Silver Spring, Maryland; Artemisa Gutierrez of Indio, California; Erich Sening of Centreville, Virginia; Raven Hedrick of Upper Tract; Jacob Bice of Bridgeport; Mackenzie Smegal of Marysville, Ohio; Alexis Reyes of Salem, New Jersey; Halie Marumoto of Honolulu, Hawaii; Madison Craven of Friendly; Jordan Leard of Buckhannon; Ani Reger of Elkins; Elyse Enriques of Gilbert, Arizona; Samantha Kirk of Harrisville; and Aidan Konhaus of Berlin, Pennsylvania.
“All our students work very hard to create what they see in their mind when they start working on their artwork,” said Assistant Professor of Art and Chair of the Division of Creative Arts Kevin “Woody” Woodcock. “The process of making art involves creative thinking, daily observation and many practice drawings to work out the final outline of their idea. Sometimes that idea changes in the course of creating and the students must figure out how to make their work adapt to those changes. Creating artwork involves lots of trouble shooting on the part of the creator to get it right.”
Altman’s solo exhibit, titled “Heavy Metal,” showcases his appreciation of the evolution of the American automobile design of the 20th century and his fascination with that of the surrounding roadway. He uses the medium of screen printing for many of his images. Altman was the valedictorian of his graduating class at D&E.
“The students take pride in their artwork and this exhibition is an opportunity for them to share it with the community,” Woodcock said.
In addition to Woodcock, the D&E Creative Arts Department faculty is made up of Assistant Professor of Art Macy Jackson and Adjunct Professors Eric Armstrong, Desire Watson, Tessa Garver-Daniels, Kiki Alba, Laurie Goux and Natalie Josimovich.
The Creative Arts Program at D&E provides a basic background in art, problem solving and the creative process to all students. Students develop an understanding of complex and sophisticated visual language, and are prepared for a professional career in art, teaching art and/or graduate study.
The Art Center is located at 2 Park St. in Elkins.
“Sunset on the Beach” by Davis & Elkins College student Elysia Cain is among the works on display at the Arts Center.
