ParallelConvergence

USMArtDepartmenthostsjuriedstudentexhibition

RobinDavis CopyEditor

Visitors to the USMArt Gallery were greeted by a highly detailedand life-sizepencil drawingof arotary telephone. Ithangsfrom thereceiver,the loopsofits cordstretched andirregular.Rendered inblackand white,thedrawing’s simplicityisheightenedby thelivelywatercolors flanking it. Thedrawing, Absence (2022), by AnnaLabbe, won first placeatthe 2023JuriedStudent Exhibition, ParallelConvergence,whichopened attheUSMArtGalleryon March 9thwithareception andawardsceremony.

Ontheevening ofthereception, thebrightlylit gallery quickly filledwith studentartists,professors, facultyand membersofthe community.Framedworks linedthestark whitewalls, whilesculptures andmultimedia piecessat ontables andpedestals placedaround theroom. Asthe groupgatheredtogether fortheawards ceremony,visitors bumpedshoulders,careful nottobrush againstanyof the delicateobjects.

Whileonlysix ofthepieces intheexhibition received prizes, every work was selected by a jury. This year’s panel wasmadeup ofartconsultant andgalleristPhoebe Cole, whoworks with AliceGauvin Galleryand PowellFineArt Advisory;writerand artistKelseyHalliday Johnson,and JennyMcGee Dougherty–apracticing artistand the AssociateDirectorof Artistsat Workand AlumniRelations atMaineCollege of Art&Design. Alluniversity students,regardless ofmajor, cansubmit artworks for inclusion in the annual exhibition which “fostersstudent preparationfor professionalart settings andprocesses, providesfeedback fromart professionalsin thecommunity,andexposes theirworktoa widerangeof viewers,”accordingtothe ArtGallerywebsite.

A plethoraofstylesandmediums wereincludedin the exhibition.Inadditionto drawing,paintingandsculpture, etching,ceramics, photography,digital art,mixed media collage,book artsand fiberarts werealso represented. Formandsubject matterrangedfrom portraitstoabstract piecestopractical dishware,andoften blurredtraditional lines.Cecilia Drysdale,for example,evokes FridaKahlo’s expressiveart withher Self-Portrait (2022) madefrom wood,paper, wire,acrylic paintand ink.For Dougherty, “itwasimpressive toseesuch aspectrumof influencein thisgroup ofwork.” Colenoted thatthe varietyin mediumswas oneof herfavorite thingsabout thegroup of works.

Butas issometimes thecase withsuch alarge collectiveofcreativity,a themestillemerged. Whiletheexhibitionmay becharacterized byvariety, KatZagaria Buckley,USM’s Directorof ArtExhibitions andOutreach, noticed“a lotof artexploring journeysand connections: thosemissed, memorableand made.” Thisprompted herto considerthe“convergence oftwobeings whosometimes misseach other.”While theirpaths maycross inparallel,theynever meet.“Othertimes,” shemused,“they run head-onintooneanother.” Thetitle ParallelConvergence isthe distillationof theseideas, encompassingthem “inits playfulnessand consideration.”The playfulandthe seriouswerecertainly bothondisplay inthegallery, asEmma Estes’ yarn Cuttlefrog (2022)sat acrossthe galleryfrom Danna Wiggins’oilongessoedpaper self-portrait (2022). Inthelatter, thehumanform fillstheimage, butiscut off justatthe eyes,denyingthe viewertheconnection traditionallyassociatedwitha portrait.

Whether or not they sensed a theme, Dougherty and Cole lookedforsimilarthings whenchoosingthepieces forthe show.Dougherty “lookedfor…quality oftechnique and alsoifthepiece pushedtheboundariesin termsofsubject andapproach,”while Colesaidshe madeher“selections basedon thestrength ofthe techniquesused bythe artists,and howwell theymanipulated thematerial.” Neitherseemeddauntedby thetaskofjudging suchdisparate works. Accordingto Dougherty,the artistcan playwith anymedium and“reexamine itscontexts.” Colelooked for worksinwhich theviewercould readilyaccesswhat the artistwas tryingto communicate.She notedthat sherelied onherexpertise asagallerist tolookat the“polishedand finishedqualities ofthe works,”and askedherself ifshe couldsellthework inagalleryor placeitwitha client.

WhileLabbe,whois completingherBFA in ArtEducationwith aconcentration inPainting andDrawing won firstplace for Absence, MollyRea (BFA witha concentrationin Sculpture)won secondplace forthe plywood sculpture Fixation (2022). Thirdplace wasawarded to Submerge (2022), astoneware andglaze abstractsculptureby Krystal Yavicoli(BFA withadouble concentrationinPainting &Drawingand Ceramics).IsabellaDeep (BFA witha doubleconcentration inPhotography and Digital Art&Design) receivedanHonorable Mentionfor herphotograph, WhiteRibbon (2020);second honorable mentionwenttoGloria Steiger(BFA withaconcentration inPainting& Drawingwitha minorin ArtHistory)for herlarge-scaleoil andcharcoalwork, Willat rest (2023). RoseDiMuzio (BFAwitha doubleconcentration inPainting &Drawingand Ceramics)tookhome the finalhonorable mentionforheroil portrait YouLook Tired (2023).Labbe, Reaand Yavicoliwere awardedcash prizes,while those withHonorableMentionsreceivedgift cards.

Whenaskedwhat setthewinning piecesapart,Dougherty saidthattheyembodied“an ambitiousapproachtoartmaking,”andthat thetopthree pieceswereeach “examining themediuminexciting ways.”ForCole,the prize-winning pieces“hadasenseof completenesstothem.”Eachpiece’s conceptwasdeveloped,givingthem auniqueand“contemporary”feel.Doughertyalsomentioned scaleandformatas elementsthat sheparticularly appreciatedabout them. These qualitiesareinpartwhatismoststrikingabout Absence.The long,vertically-hungpaper isanunusual sizeandshape, whiletheclarity, precisionandscale ofthesubject matter isarresting.Despite therealismof thetelephone,it seems to floatinspaceagainst theblankwhitebackground.It feels complete,as Colesaid, yetthere issomething slightlyunsettlingabout it.Curious aboutthe inspirationbehind thepiece, IaskedLabbe aboutherprocess. Theinsightsshe shared withmespeaktoher thoughtfulnessasanartist:“Theprocessofmaking Absence wassimultaneously alignedwith anddivergentfrom myusualprocess andartisticthemes. Mostofmy artworksurroundsan ideaofmemory, andin previouspieces I’veattempted torecreate specificmemories viagraphitedrawing–which ismypreferred medium.I’ve drawnscenesfrom mylife–suchas mymomcookingdinner,ormysisterand Ireadingbooksaschildren–which are prominentmemoriesthatIwanted tocaptureinaneffort to re-experienceandsharethem. Irealizedthatinmy artwork Iwasspelling outalot ofdetails,putting thememoryout thereexactly asit was,and notreally leavingmuch upto the interpretationof theviewer With Absence,I wantedto challengemyselftoevoke amemoryandany inspiredfeelings bybeinglessspecificabout mysubjectmatter.

Ichose thisphone frommy childhoodhome asthe subject matterbecauseIhavea plethoraofmemoriesandemotions surroundingthe phone. Theway inwhich Idrew itwas similarto howI haddone allmy otherpieces, inpencil onpaper, asidefromthe scale.Iwork primarilyingraphite because Ireallyenjoygetting lostinthedetails, whichleadsmeto workingsmallnineout oftentimes. Absencewasmy first timedrawingthislarge, anditwasa challengethatI–anda wiseprofessorofmine–gavemyself tobreakoutofthe box ofdrawingsmallpiecesand explorehowscalecanmake an artworkinfluential.Mygoal withthepiecewas torecreate thisobjectthatI hadplentyofassociations withandbring ittoviewerssothat theymightmaketheirown associations withit.Itwas abridgebetweenhow Iwantedtheartwork to servemy memorywhile alsobringing othersinto thatworld. Ihopedthatthe life-sizescale–whichisthe real,measured sizeofthephone frommyhouse–wouldask peopletoconfrontthepiece andanyfeelings ormemoriesit evokesin them.Istruggled withtitlingit forawhile beforesettlingon Absence,asafew conversationswithpeersand familyleft mefeelinglike thatwasone ofthecommon threads/emotionsinspiredby it.”Labbe’swords certainlyrelateto the themeof ParallelConvergence; thedrawing’s senseof space createsroom forLabbe’s memoriesto runalongside the viewer’s.Thephone danglingfromitshook seemstoleave aquestionunanswered: Was connectionmade,ormissed? Whiletheopening receptionwasmainly meanttocelebratetheexhibitionentriesand winningpieces,the ArtDepartmentalsohandedout itsDisciplineawardsand several scholarships:

•Art&Entrepreneurship Award:ClaireRichardson, BA in Art&EntrepreneurialStudies, Concentration inPainting&Drawing.

•ArtHistory Award:RobinDavis,BA in ArtHistory, MinorinEnglish.

•Foundations Award:CrystalReynolds, BFA in Art Education,concentrationinCeramics.

•ArtEducation Award:OliviaDyer,BFA in ArtEducation,concentrationinPainting &Drawing,Minor inBook Arts.

•Book Arts Award:LillianDuda, BFA in ArtEducation,concentrationinPainting &Drawing,Minorin Book Arts.

•Ceramics Award:Krystal Yavicoli,BFA,doubleconcentrationinPainting&Drawing andCeramics.

•Painting&Drawing Award:GloriaSteiger, BFA, concentrationinPainting &Drawing,Minor in Art

History.

•Photography&Digital Art&Design Award: Tabitha Burgess,BFA,double concentrationinPainting & DrawingandPhotography&DigitalArt&Design.

•Printmaking Award:JakePerry, BA,concentrationin Painting&Drawing.

•SculptureAward:Shalyssa Hamberger,BFA, concentrationinSculpture.Scholarship Awards:

JurisUbans Award:

•ClaireRichardson, BA in Art& Entrepreneurial Studies,concentrationinPainting& Drawing.

•LillianDuda,BFA inArt Education,concentration inPainting&Drawing, MinorinBook Arts.NicholasGiroux,BFA inArt Education,concentrationin Painting&Drawing.

DonaldL.Dimick Award:

•MasonHamptonMcBreairty, BA DoubleMajorin ArtHistoryandSocial Work.

ParallelConvergence wason viewattheUSM ArtGallerythrough March25, 2023. Thenext scheduledshow is the2023BFA andBA Exhibition,whichopenson April 6,2023with areceptionfrom 6-8p.m. TheGalleryis openregularly Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.–4:30p.m.