Graduating artists celebrated at Senior Art Exhibition

The Department of Art and Art History at Eastern Connecticut State University invited its graduating seniors to showcase their masterpieces at the annual Senior Art Exhibition in the Fine Arts Instructional Center Art Gallery. The exposition featured more than 105 individual objects created by 40 students in a versatile display of artistic media. 

“From intricate sculpture installations to traditional oil paintings and digital illustrations, each piece reflects the unique voice and vision of its creator,” said art gallery Director Julia Wintner. “The exhibition highlights how our students push boundaries, blending disciplines and exploring unconventional materials to express complex themes and personal narratives.” 

She continued: “This dynamic collection underscores the technical skill of the graduating class as well as their readiness to enter the world where their skills are so needed.” 

Digital art major Salavanh Thongchampasy’s animated music video to Alice In Chain’s “Nutshell” told a melancholy story accompanied by alternative music. 

“‘Nutshell’ is a piece about capturing the feeling of ‘existing to exist’ and themes relating to a deep depression or melancholy,” said Thongchampasy. “It follows the journey of a girl toward the pearly gates, being reborn into a pure land.” 

Studio art major Kara Mahoney’s “Horse Girl” is a full-scale sculpture of a carousel horse, covered in collages of historic photos of women on horses, fabric, yarn, rhinestones, and poetry written on scraps of paper. 

“‘Horse Girl’ addresses themes of independence, control, and performance by illuminating the similarities between the transition from childhood to womanhood and the domestication and training of horses,” said Mahoney.  

“I created this work to honor the idealized memory of childhood freedom before learning what it meant to be a woman and exploring the emotional toll of that series of world-shifting realizations.”

Digital art major Omotayo Quadri designed packaging and advertisements for a conceptual cologne company. Tayo describes the elements of his designs as experimental. 

“One thing I do like to explore a lot is working with different textures and patterns,” he said. “There's always a level of organization to my art, especially when I use inspiration from different cultural backgrounds.” 

Studio art major Emily Fajardo’s large-scale sculpture of a female body pierced with shards is a commentary on mental health. 

“I made the body out of foam board and then covered with spackle and paint. The figure is in a very confident position despite all of the shards buried in her back,” said Fajardo.  

“The figure is stepping on the glass to show that she's still a confident person regardless of all the issues that she has.” 

Digital art major Savion Ross showed posters of the various projects he plans to pursue full-time after graduating, including a graphic novel, a video game concept, and several animation projects. His primary piece on display was an excerpt from his current animation, “The Wonderful World of Puppets.” 

“All of my projects are completely different. It kind of ties to my online username which is Shifty Styles,” said Ross. “It kind of derives from the fact that my art style is not very consistent. I figured I'd want to do something with all those styles that I can make something with.” 

Studio art major Kya Lanae Mayo showcased a series of oil-on-canvas self-portraits. According to her, the paintings are reflections of her struggles with anxiety. 

“I struggled with anxiety my whole life,” said Mayo. “I wanted to do a piece about how the internal — how you're feeling and what you're going through — isn’t always meant to match external, what you look like to other people.  

“Painting has always been an outlet for expressing and calming my emotions.”