ASU Students Earn BFA in Studio Art
Senior studio exhibit reception May 9 at Catherine Smith Gallery

Appalachian State University presents the /BFA Senior Studio Exhibition: Spring 2008/, at the Catherine J. Smith Gallery in Boone, NC. The exhibition will be on view from April 30 through May 9, 2008 and includes work by seven candidates for the BFA in Studio Art. Works in this show are composed of a variety of materials including painting, video, ceramics, digital imaging, plastics, and found objects.

The gallery is pleased to present works from the following artists: Ryan F. Batten, George Helms, Michael Keating, Jennifer Livingston, Jennifer Michael, Pamela Raimo and Erin Marie Souther. For the past year these students have been working with Lynn Duryea, an assistant professor in the Department of Art. “The Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition at Catherine Smith Gallery is an exciting event for students and faculty alike.  This exhibit represents the culmination of years of study on the part of studio majors in the Art Department at Appalachian, and is an opportunity for them to exhibit a cohesive body of work that reflects personal interests and research, “ states Duryea. She continues,  “The diverse work to be shown by this group of seniors will encompass a wide range of ideas, formats, materials and processes.  It promises to be an exciting exhibit of which the graduating students can be proud.”

The reception for the /BFA Senior Studio Exhibition: Spring 2008/ is on May 9 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM.  Please join the artists to celebrate their achievements at Appalachian.

About the Artists

Ryan F. Batten was born in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1979.  He currently resides in Boone.  Batten is completing his degree with concentrations in Painting and Sculpture. Batten’s work in the exhibition deals with travel, movement, and mapping within one’s life.

George Helms was born in 1985 in Charlotte NC. While he enjoyed drawing as a child, he did not develop a serious interest in art until the eighth grade, partly due to his admiration of a neighbor’s artistic ability.  Helms main areas of artistic interest are painting and printmaking.  Helms’ body of work for this exhibition is an exploration of post apocalyptic imagery, created as a personal confrontation of apocalyptic fears and rhetoric. 
Originally from Asheville, North Carolina, Michael Keating is concentrating in Painting and Sculpture. Keating uses both oil and acrylic in his paintings and he incorporates a range of materials in his sculptural pieces. His recent work deals with his personal feelings about what it means to be a gay man living in a conservative society. The subject of his work for the Catherine J. Smith Gallery is a series of paintings based on gay male culture which convey themes about violence, religion, family, same sex domesticity, the idealized male, HIV and AIDS.

Jennifer Livingston was born in 1985 in Lenoir, North Carolina where she lived until moving to Boone in 2004. Her current work focuses on Lenoir as the former “Furniture Capitol of the South.” Livingston’s video installation deals with the economic and social impact of outsourcing and downsizing in the furniture industry of Lenoir. This installation was exhibited in Lenoir during the second weekend of April. Livingston plans to show a scaled-down version of the Lenoir exhibition at the Catherine J. Smith Gallery as part of the BFA exhibition.

Jennifer Michael was born in 1984 in Wilkesboro NC, and has resided in Boone since 2002. She will receive graduate with concentrations in Metals and Jewelry Design and Painting.  Her current jewelry pieces touch on smoking, which is a costly and deadly habit.  Michael connects smoking today with the glamorous lifestyle it was once part of in the 1940s and 50s, by juxtaposing found objects with images and mimicking certain styles of jewelry worn during that time period.

Pamela Raimo was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1986, but she has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina with her family for a majority of her life. Raimo is concentrating in ceramics. Her exhibition work deals with the preservation of memories combining various objects and photographs within a series of mixed media sculptures hung from the wall in the style of a family portrait. The idea for this exhibition was inspired by the artist’s relationship with her family, especially her late grandfather with whom she was very close.

Erin Marie Souther was born in North Wilkesboro, NC in 1984.  Souther was raised by her grandmother and was always surrounded by art. In 1997 she moved with her mother to Statesville, NC where she still resides. Her current work is figurative sculpture, revolving around the human conscience and emotions, incorporating mythological and philosophical influences. Souther will graduate with concentrations in clay and metals.

The Catherine J. Smith Gallery is located in Farthing Auditorium at 733 Rivers Street on the Appalachian State University Campus.  Admission is free.  Hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (828) 262-7338 for more information.