Art awards

Juried by Woody Holliman

Professor Holliman has taught graphic design at Meredith College since 2011. Prior to teaching at Meredith, he served as Creative Director at Flywheel Design, his 10-person design studio in downtown Durham. Flywheel’s work has been recognized by PRINT, GRAPHIS, HOW, NOVUM, Creativity Annual, AIGA, the American Design Awards, Rockport Publishers, and the American Advertising Federation (ADDY® Awards). Earlier in his career, Professor Holliman worked as a studio artist, magazine illustrator, and freelance art critic.

Best in Show

Crystallizing Vision Loss | by Hannah Schneider | page 38

These hauntingly beautiful and thought-provoking images were inspired by the artist’s discovery she has a rare genetic condition causing vision loss—a devastating diagnosis for anyone, but especially for a visual artist. The diptych format attempts to illustrate two stages of potential vision loss: on the left, a double-exposure of the artist’s eye and a photo of the Raleigh skyline represents an early stage, with decayed but still intact imagery; the murkier image on the right represents the artist’s fear of what her degraded vision might eventually become.

The artist developed these prints with caffenol and fixed them with salt crystals, which result in inconsistent areas of exposure. These darkened, cloudy spots become a dramatic manifestation of the artist’s intensely personal struggle. And yet, these images also speak eloquently to those of us who don’t share the artist’s condition, but who can relate to the loss of other parts of our personal identity over time—such as our friendships, memories, or childhood dreams.

1st Runner-Up

Invisible | by Morgan Thompson | page 23

Invisible is a stunning, hand-built ceramic bust of a young woman, with ceramic chains and crocheted intestines tumbling from her torso. It was created to communicate the artist’s struggle with Crohn’s disease, a chronic but mostly invisible illness. It captures the mental as well as physical agony of having a chronic condition, especially one that can’t easily be seen from the outside: the pain, the countless doctor’s visits, the medications, the dismissal by people who somehow doubt the seriousness of your condition, and the ongoing hope for remission.

The simulated blood spatters against the pristine white clay create a jarring contrast between how the artist looks on the outside, and the way she actually feels on a daily basis. While not all of us are suffering from this condition, nearly all of us can relate to the frustration of suffering from pain—mental or physical—that isn’t obvious to others.

2nd Runner-Up

Visible Language | by Claire Miller | page 54

This large-format poster, Visible Language, features bold, chaotic typography as the main compositional element—a fitting choice for an exhibition of work by the notorious design renegade, David Carson. Carson famously insisted that “graphic design will save the world right after rock and roll does.” But ironically, his work really did revolutionize an entire generation of graphic designers. The stencil lettering, geometric patterns, and quasi-military color scheme give this poster a gritty, industrial feel, and the steely gaze of David Carson peering through that scrim of letterforms leaves us no doubt he is a force to be reckoned with.

Honorable Mention

Through the (Looking) Glass | by Ainsley Rounds | page 6

This skillfully rendered drawing is a witty commentary on how we view ourselves and the world around us. “Looking Glass” is, of course, an old-fashioned term for a mirror, but the subject here is actually looking through a drinking glass, which distorts rather than reflects what we see. Using colored pencils and ink, the artist built this drawing around the theme “reveal and conceal.” She describes it as a “psychological self-portrait,” an attempt to reflect her efforts to find light in stressful situations, and positivity in the midst of cynical world views.

literary STAFF

Co-Editors

Sarah Page

Tamara Bomparte

Poetry Editor

Kate Polaski

Prose Editor

Constance Wesley

Engagement Manager

Morgan Maddocks

Archivist

Karlie Mullis

Social Media Manager

Stevie Melvin

Faculty Advisor

Ashley Hogan

Writer-Editors

Sadie Rounds

Shae-Lynn Henderson

Noelle Pearce

Sarah Eike

Margaret Devitt

Hannah Scott

Angelina Morin

Cady Stanley

Lauren Shaw

Sumeyya Miraloglu

Design Staff

Art Director Claire Miller

Graphic Designers

Hayli Ira

Kimberly Jarvis

Faculty Advisor

Woody Holliman

Production Notes

Printer

Printing Center USA

Copies 500

Type Families

Rockwell

Junegull