2019-2020 Yeck College Artist Fellowship Exhibition Catalogue by Dayton Art Institute

2019-2020 Yeck College Artist Fellowship Exhibition Catalogue

The Yeck College Artist Fellowship is an intensive studio program at the Dayton Art Institute for four talented students from regional colleges and universities selected through a portfolio process. These fellows create a body of artwork for exhibition as well as teach college-level art classes to select high school students.

The contents of this document are the creative property of the 2020 Yeck College Artist Fellows and copyright ÂŠ2020 Dayton Art Institute, all rights reserved. This document has been prepared by the DAI Education Department for educational uses only, and any commercial use is prohibited.

Welcome to the eighteenth Yeck Fellows Exhibition of the DAI’s Yeck College Artist Fellows. I hope this finds you safe and well. I am sorry we cannot be together due to the coronavirus pandemic but think you will enjoy viewing this exhibition online. This year’s Yeck Fellows are Katie Burianek, Wright State; David La Rosa, Sinclair Community College; Kari Nupson, Cedarville University; and Emily Wick, Sinclair Community College. The Yeck family legacy began when the late Dorothy Yeck was a young girl and she received a scholarship for an art class at the Dayton Art Institute. Dorothy dreamed she would one day provide the same experience to other young people. In 1993, the Dorothy Myers Yeck Scholarship Studio Scholarship was endowed. This program provides an intensive week of art classes for middle school youth who are the same age as Dorothy was when she received her scholarship. The success of this program served as a catalyst for the creation of The Dorothy and Bill Yeck Education Endowment in 2001. Annually, four Yeck Fellows are selected through a portfolio and interview process to create a new body of artwork for exhibition and to teach college level art classes for select high school students. The Yeck High School Scholarship provides talented high school students nine weeks of studio art classes at the museum.

The contents of this document are the creative property of the 2020 Yeck College Artist Fellows and copyright ©2020 Dayton Art Institute, all rights reserved. This document has been prepared by the DAI Education Department for educational uses only, and any commercial use is prohibited.

Thank you to Matt Burgy, DAI Museum Educator, who mentored the Fellows who led their class sessions while completing their own college coursework. Sadly, the mentoring part of their fellowship had to end early due to the pandemic. Thank you to David Yeck (son of Dorothy and Bill) who pledged a gift through The Dorothy and Bill Yeck Foundation in honor of the DAI's Centennial to renovate the museum's Education Department and studios in the Rike Building, which will serve many young artists for years to come. Congratulations to the Yeck Fellows and enjoy their special online exhibition. I encourage you to share the exhibition on social media and if you want to support the DAIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education programs , please go to: http://www.daytonartinstitute.org/support. We look forward to seeing you at your museum soon (of course with a face covering and physical-distancing). Warm regards,

Michael R. Roediger, CFRE, MSLD Director & CEO

2019-2020 Yeck College Artist Fellows

Left to right: Kari Nupson, David La Rosa, Emily Wick, and Katie Burianek The Dorothy and Bill Yeck Education Endowment enables the Dayton Art Institute to offer unique educational opportunities that promote and enhance the development of promising artists.

Katie Burianek Wright State University, Senior Bachelor’s of Fine Art Concentration: Photography

Artist Statement I have found myself drawn to the abstraction of the everyday world and seeing it from a different perspective. I channel that into my work by using simple shapes like squares, which can represent the house I live in or even the emotional boundaries in my life. Recently I have started working with the Mordançage process, which allows me to transform the boundaries of these ridged shapes into something more like a dream. Mordançage is an alternative photographic process that alters silver gelatin prints by bleaching the print so it can be redeveloped. During this process the dense, black areas of the emulsion begin to lift away from the paper creating a veiling effect. The lifted emulsion can then float throughout the photograph until it eventually dries down flat. Through this emulsion manipulation, I transform a simple shape into an emotional idea or motion, which can then be further digitally manipulated into limitless opportunities for exploration.

Internal Exposure Internal Exposure illustrates the idea of one’s innermost feelings being exposed to the public in a traumatic fashion – the outer veil of the emotions we project being ripped away to reveal what we hide inside.

Detail of Internal Exposure, digital ink jet print

Internal Exposure, 2020, digital inkjet print of original Mordançage, 37”x 40”

Counterpoise Counterpoise is the balance of tension between opposing forces of darkness and light, yet also a powerful symbiosis created through their unification.

Detail of Counterpoise, digital ink jet print

Counterpoise, 2020, digital inkjet print of original Mordançage overall: 40” x 24”, each photo: 20” x 24”

Approach Approach illustrates four equally unique pieces being pulled through space to converge at a singular, impactful moment in time.

Detail of Approach, MordanĂ§age silver gelatin print

Approach, 2020, Mordançage, silver gelatin prints, overall: 18” x 18”, each photo: 9” x 9”

The Process Click to learn about the creator of the Mordançage process, Jean Pierre Sudre Click to watch the Mordançage process and Elizabeth Opalenik’s works

One of Katie Burianek’s photos undergoing final stage of Mordançage process

Click above to see Mordançage process taking effect on one of Katie Burianek’s photos.

David La Rosa Sinclair Community College, Senior Associates of Art Concentration: Sculpture

Artist Statement When I work, I am thinking about the experience. I find making art to be a fun, challenging, and exciting experience. Art is like a game for me in that way; I try to design a puzzle that is hard enough to be challenging but just easy enough to solve. When I finish a piece, there is usually this moment of victory and a sense of accomplishment. These feelings are a large part of what keeps me motivated. Lately, I have been focused on process. I want the completed works I make to tell the story of how they came to be, rather than for those processes to be hidden. The hardest part of making something is in trying to communicate that story. The more I try to end up with a finished product that is elegant or refined, the more I end up burying the effort that went into getting there. In response to that challenge, I have intentionally tried to leave artifacts or clues in my pieces to better illustrate my process. If I have done that successfully, there should be more discovered with a second look.

Girls A trio of feminine forms fashioned from paper and suspended from steel wire. Maria, Hel, and Brigitte are the three names of the lead actress in Fritz Lang’s 1927 film, Metropolis. Likewise, the three figures are each iterations of the same form. Each one explores a different pose, and with it, a different relationship to gravity, a corresponding emotion, and a phase of the moon.

Brigitte Brigitte is strong and proud; wanting to stand on her own two feet, fighting against gravity to remain upright and in motion. She is the full moon.

Brigitte, 2020, velum paper, and stainless steel wire, 14” x 7” x 3.5”, 2020, view 1

Brigitte, 2020, Velum Paper, and Stainless Steel Wire, 14” x 7” x 3.5”, 2020, view 2

Hel Hel is torn and conflicted, caught between two points under tension balancing on one foot. She is the waxing moon.

Hel, 2020, velum paper and stainless steel wire, 14” x 7” x 3.5”, view 1

Hel, 2020, velum paper and stainless steel wire, 14” x 7” x 3.5”, view 2

Maria Maria is lost. Both feet off the ground, upside down; in limbo. She is the waning moon.

Maria, 2020, velum paper and stainless steel wire, 14” x 7” x 3.5”, view 1

Maria, 2020, velum paper and stainless steel wire, 14” x 7” x 3.5”, view 2

Click diagram to experience David La Rosa’s sculpture making process. The contents of this document are the creative property of the 2020 Yeck College Artist Fellows and copyright ©2020 Dayton Art Institute, all rights reserved. This document has been prepared by the DAI Education Department for educational uses only, and any commercial use is prohibited.

Baklava Wooden coat hangers threaded along steel wire. Baklava takes the form of a centipede. Like the dessert, this sculpture was formed through multiple layers of tedious and delicate work to be easily consumed in a fraction of time.

Baklava, 2020, wooden coat hangers and annealed steel wire, 18” x 36’, 2nd iteration

Baklava, 2020, wooden coat hangers and annealed steel wire, 18” x 36’, 1st iteration

Kari Nupson Cedarville University, Senior Bachelor’s of Fine Art Concentration: Painting

Artist’s Statement Initially inspired by 15th - 18th century European court painters, my work draws from historical and literary symbolism to portray my subject’s physical, psychological, and spiritual features. I value transparency and reflect contemporary culture while acknowledging history. Born in Dayton, Ohio in 1872, Paul Laurence Dunbar rose to distinction across racial and social boundaries as a poet. Dunbar published two poems titled “Dreams” in 1899 and 1903, which, despite many similarities, differ in meaning. Dunbar’s 1899 version is a melancholic warning that the beauty of a dream fades quickly upon waking. The 1903 version, however, speaks to a dream’s pleasure in escapism. Despite their fleeting nature, a dream’s wealth and beauty are worth the experience. My work uses symbolism and quotations from the poems as well as references to Dunbar’s life. In the 1903 panel the modern Dayton skyline is viewed from the cemetery where Dunbar’s body lies, and the diptychs’ arches represent death. The figure’s hand crosses the frame, resting between life and death, sleeping. Both frames use pomegranate trees to symbolize the deception of Adam and Eve, reflecting Dunbar’s faith as well as imagery from one of the poems. In the 1899 panel, the bare tree represents truth. By contemplating the reality and the surreality of dreams, I hope to inspire appreciation for Dunbar’s work.

1903 and 1899 A work about Paul Laurence Dunbar’s second poem entitled “Dreams,” 1903 features a fully fruited pomegranate tree in the top center portion of the painted frame. While the health of the tree symbolizes prosperity, the fruit itself is a biblical representation of deception. This not only references the author’s Christian faith and the story of Adam and Eve, but it also draws attention to the 1903 poem’s description of the unknowing and deceptive bliss that dreams bring. The tulips on either side of the tree in both paintings reference the purity of sleep. In 1899, the pomegranate tree is bare, symbolizing a lack of prosperity in addition to the ability to see past the deceptive façade that a dream provides. In the bottom center portion of both paintings, the painted symbol underneath the respective dates is a reference to original cover design of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s first published collection of poetry, Oak and Ivy. The panels are chronologically out of order to symbolize the continuing and seemingly backwards struggle for the equality of Black Americans, giving the paintings contemporary significance while referencing Dunbar’s great influence on racial issues during his lifetime.

Detail of 1903, oil on wood panel Click to read Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poetry: Dreams 1903

Dreams 1899

1903 and 1899, 2020, oil on wood panel, diptych 60” x 72, each panel 36” x 60

Dreams A combination of both of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poems entitled “Dreams,” the nonobjective shapes and colors of this work symbolize the peaceful confusion of both sleeping and dreaming. The same woman depicted in the diptych 1903 and 1899 appears in this painting calmly sleeping. Her hair blends into the cloudlike background and her eyebrow melts into some of the text, symbolizing full immersion into her dreams.

Detail of 1899, Oil on wood panel

Dreams, 2020, oil on wood panel, 36” x 48”

The Process

Artist sketchbook drawings and notes for 1903 and 1899, 9” x 12”, ink on paper

Artist sketchbook drawings and notes for 1903 and 1899 and Dreams, 9” x 12”, ink on paper

Emily Wick Sinclair Community College, Senior Associates of Art Concentration: Drawing

Artist Statement These three self-portraits deal with the themes of dreams and identity in different and yet equally personal ways. One is an open and honest interpretation of the self, another is a symbol of love and the anxiety that comes with responsibility, and the third is a confrontation of a phobia and the recurring dreams that coincide. I was originally nervous showing such physically and emotionally vulnerable pieces, but, drawing these three different forms of anxiety ended up being surprisingly therapeutic. I believe that showing them in a public space will be even more so. These pieces are as much of an exploration of material as they are an exploration of the self. Charcoal is one of the simplest of all materials, and yet it is the one I adore above all others. Drawing large allows me to move my entire arm fluidly throughout the drawing while also allowing me to go in dark and heavy with my fingers to smear and press the charcoal into the paper. My goal is for the dark intensity and scale to leave a memorable impact, and for the open subject matter to create a personal connection between myself and the viewer.

Bare Reflection I find the inherent self-expression of a self-portrait personally engaging. Examining my own face and body frankly has led to a separation from the everyday bombardment of beauty standards that come with being a woman and has allowed me some piece of acceptance for my physical flaws. I find a great amount of freedom in drawing these flaws: bags under the eyes, the natural folds of fat, unkempt hair and unshaven legs. Drawing myself in this way, almost completely naked and from an unflattering angle, is my own way of reclaiming my body. The emphasized hand reflects my drawing process, the darkened fingers covered in charcoal.

Detail of Bare Reflection, charcoal on paper

Bare Reflection, 2020, charcoal on paper, 27” x 40” The contents of this document are the creative property of the 2020 Yeck College Artist Fellows and copyright ©2020 Dayton Art Institute, all rights reserved. This document has been prepared by the DAI Education Department for educational uses only, and any commercial use is prohibited.

Warm Responsibility Growing up the oldest of five siblings instilled within me complex feelings of love, protectiveness, and anxiety. As a child, I often had nightmares about being forced into a situation in which I was solely responsible for them. Along with that fear of responsibility though, comes a deeply rooted feeling of affection, and a desire to shield them from anything that may harm them. I would do anything for my siblings. Here, I sit watchful while they sleep. They all lean into me, and my hair reaches out to drape over each of their heads. In this space, I can protect them from anything.

Detail of Warm Responsibility, charcoal on paper

Warm Responsibility, 2020, charcoal on paper, 27” x 40” The contents of this document are the creative property of the 2020 Yeck College Artist Fellows and copyright ©2020 Dayton Art Institute, all rights reserved. This document has been prepared by the DAI Education Department for educational uses only, and any commercial use is prohibited.

Recurring Dreams The most vivid dreams I have are the ones in which I lose my teeth. I have these dreams frequently; sometimes so vivid that I can taste blood. This piece is a confrontation of a phobia and represents the confusion and chaos inherent to dreams. The marks are more jittery and less defined, the forms are less rendered as the arms fade into space. These hands are all mine, and yet they come from impossible positions, reaching, grabbing, and tearing a single tooth from my mouth. While all three of my artworks in this exhibition involve a specific form of anxiety, this artwork is the most visually agitated due to the setting of a dream and the visceral fear.

Detail of Recurring Dreams, charcoal on paper

Recurring Dreams, 2020, charcoal on paper, 27”x 40” The contents of this document are the creative property of the 2020 Yeck College Artist Fellows and copyright ©2020 Dayton Art Institute, all rights reserved. This document has been prepared by the DAI Education Department for educational uses only, and any commercial use is prohibited.

The Process Sketches and thumbnails made during the planning process for all three artworks.

Sketches for Bare Reflection, pencil on paper, 5.5” x 8 .5” and charcoal on paper, 18” x 24”

Sketches for Warm Responsibility, pencil on paper, 5.5” x 8.5” and charcoal on paper, 18” x 24”

Sketches for Recurring Dreams, pencil on paper, 5.5” x 8.5”