Bradbury Gallery hosts Fall 2008 Senior Exhibition, opening Dec. 4

Nov. 14, 2008 -- Arkansas State University’s Bradbury Gallery will present the Fall 2008 Senior Exhibition, opening Thursday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m., and running through Saturday, Dec. 13. This exhibition is free and open to the public. The Bradbury Gallery is located at 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro, in Fowler Center. Held at the end of each fall and spring semester, the senior exhibition features graduating students from ASU’s Department of Art.  This semester the exhibiting artists are Shawn Aronson, Jamie Hampton, Nikki Hemphill, and Mark Williams. Their work will include drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media installation.

Shawn Aronson, from Orlando, Fla., came to ASU with an athletic scholarship in track and field. Originally an undecided major, his childhood love of drawing led him to pursue a degree in the visual arts. This December he will receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in drawing and painting. Aronson states, “I create art that reflects the beauty of the natural world.  I work from images or ideas that strike me or catch my eye.  I enhance these images through manipulating shadows, colors and reflections, and challenge myself with different techniques and materials.” 

After graduation Aronson plans to move to Baton Rouge and attend Louisiana State University.

Originally from Missouri, Jamie Hampton attended Three Rivers Community College and studied graphic design before coming to ASU. She now lives in Paragould and is completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in drawing and painting at ASU. Her work has recently been seen in the 2008 Juried Student Art Exhibition held in the Fine Arts Center Gallery.  Largely consisting of reinterpretations of vintage snapshots, Hampton’s WWII army buddies depict her nostalgic view of a simpler time. The inspiration for her work derives from a keen interest in history, fueled by a set of photos handed down to her from her grandfather. After her graduation in 2009, Hampton intends to pursue a professional career in art.

Before transferring to ASU, Nikki Hemphill began her studies with two scholarships to North Arkansas College in Harrison, where she majored in drafting and architecture. Once at ASU, she changed her emphasis to drawing and painting and became a member of the Art Student Union and the ASU Print Club. Old family photos have played a role in the development of Hemphill’s body of work. She explains that she has always enjoyed looking at photo albums and has “…come into possession of four or five family albums full of pictures from the 1930s through the 1960s… These little pieces of history are slowly fading away, and I desperately wanted to preserve those images, choosing the most interesting photos that represent a specific time in someone’s life.” Hemphill plans to graduate this December.

Mark Williams lives and works in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Prior to attending ASU, he received an Associate Arts degree from Three Rivers Community College in his hometown. While at ASU, he participated in the College of Fine Arts’ summer study abroad program at the Florence University of the Arts. He has exhibited his work in the 2006 Juried Student Art Exhibition held in the ASU Fine Arts Center Gallery and in Pictures by People at the Margaret Harwell Art Museum in Poplar Bluff.  Williams feels his choice of art as a career has been a difficult but necessary decision, and a decision that ultimately has helped him better understand himself and his place in the world. The autobiographical nature of work is in part responsible for this realization. Williams plans to graduate in December with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art.

Bradbury Gallery hours are 12 noon-5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and 2-5 p.m. on Sunday. For additional information, contact Les Christensen (lchristensen@astate.edu), director of  the Bradbury Gallery, at (870) 972-2567.           

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