Thursday, 29 April 2004, 5 p.m.
Bradbury Gallery, Fowler Center - Arkansas State University

The Spring 2004 Senior Exhibition will open on Thursday, April 29 in the Bradbury Gallery at the Fowler Center on the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. The exhibition will feature the work of six graduating seniors, Walter Bowen, Amber Ervin, Raven Lennon Harvey, Mary Ellen McGuire, Antonia Varner and Jonathan Woods, who will be receiving their bachelor degrees from the Department of Art.

Walter Bowen has been a recipient of the Arkansas State University Art Department Scholarship for the past three years. While working on his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art he served as the president of the Art Student Union, as a member of the Visiting Artist/Scholar Committee, as a studio arts representative for the Infrastructure Committee and as the Fine Arts representative for the Budgeting Committee. Bowen also participated in the ASU summer program at Scuola Lorenzo di Medici in Florence Italy in 2001. His artwork serves as a vehicle to share his thoughts and knowledge with others.

Amber Ervin, from Gosnell, will receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in graphic design and a minor in studio art this May. She is has participated in the Print Club, the Art Director’s Club, the Art Student Union and Gamma Beta Phi. Ervin’s abstract work employs shape, color and texture to communicate her thoughts and emotions. She is currently working with materials such as glass, wood, metal and found objects, as well as various print media.

Raven Lennon Harvey of Trumann will receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Magna Cum Laude, after completing her final six hours of study at Scuola Lorenzo di Medici in Florence, Italy this summer. Harvey currently serves as the president of the Art Student Union, as the College of Fine Art’s representative for the Infrastructure Committee and as a member of the Print Club. Her work examines the transience of life stemming in part from the challenge we all feel when facing the reality of our own mortality.

Mary Ellen McGuire, from Camden, will be graduating in May with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in drawing and painting. Biological forms and text have been a source of inspiration for her work. She enhances microscopic and cellular structures on the computer, which are then enlarged and layered resulting in organic abstractions. After graduation she plans to attend graduate school in Memphis, Tennessee.

A resident of Poplar Bluff, Antonia Varner, will earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with Honors in Studio Arts, with an emphasis in drawing and painting. The source of inspiration for her artwork is derived from the imagery she encounters daily. She is currently on the Dean’s List and is the president of the Print Club. After graduation Varner plans to continue making art while working for the government.

Jonathan Woods, from West Plains, Mo., will graduate in August of 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art. He considers his work to be a form of communication with his viewers as he reveals an intimate part of himself in each piece. Woods is currently a member of the Print Club and the Art Student Union. After graduation he plans to continue his studies and attend graduate school.

Their works will be on exhibit in the Bradbury Gallery through May 7. There will be an opening reception Thursday, April 29 at 5 pm. Gallery hours are from noon to 5 pm, Tuesday through Saturday and 2 to 5 pm on Sunday. The exhibition and the reception are free and open to the public. For further information please call 870-910-8115.