The Juanita and Ralph Harvey School of Visual Arts will present their B.F.A. Senior Exhibition for Kaegan Engstrom-Garner and Jillian Leigh Poole from Dec. 7 through Jan. 11 in the Foyer Gallery of the Fain Fine Arts building.
The opening reception for the two graduating seniors will be held on Dec. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m.
The exhibition is free of charge and open to the public, and will present Garner’s and Poole’s compilations of their photography, sculpture and printmaking work.
In addition, Lawrence McFarland’s “Dodge City to Shiprock” will continue to be on display in the main gallery.
Garner, a native of Flower Mound, will graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in photography and a minor in sculpture.
During her time at MSU, Garner received the Robert and Gene Roth Fine Art Scholarship, as well as being a member of the Eta Epsilon chapter of the Kappa Pi International Honorary Art Fraternity.
Garner also took part in several art exhibitions associated with Kappa Pi and the Juried Student Exhibitions, winning the Painting Award in 2009, and the Juanita Harvey Excellence in the Arts Award this year.
Garner’s work exhibited centers on her love of animals and nature.
In her artist statement, Garner described being surrounded by animals while growing up.
“I rode horses, cared for cats and dogs and even had a pet rat named Bergy,” Garner said. “I was comfortable with earth’s creatures and they became my friends, creating a love for nature.”
This love for nature has gone on to inspire Garner’s work, portraits of her friends and family matched up with their spirit animals.
Garner says she drew from Kiki Smith’s sculpture “Born” as inspiration, a piece that depicts a female deer giving birth to a fully mature woman.
“Like Smith, my work is the characteristic connections between human and animals,” she said. “The portraits are a blending of the people I love and their spirit embodiment.”
Garner used her photography skills to create her pieces, and combined her skill as a painter and sculptor as well.
“Painterly strokes of acrylic are brushed onto the photograph’s surface, resulting in a seamless photographic depiction of their spiritual connection,” she said. “The process of the masks begins with a material called moulage. Dentists use it to create a replica of a patient’s teeth; I used it to create a life cast of my model’s face.”
The final result of Garner’s arduous work is a plaster animal mask that fit the models perfectly for the desired effect when taking the photograph.
“These processes allows me to pair my love of animals with the people in my every day life, and represent them in a spiritual way,” she said.
While Garner is using the exhibition to demonstrate her love of nature and the connection she has with it, Poole is using this stage as a way to remember the life of a family member.
Poole, a native of Allen, will graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in printmaking and a minor in ceramics and photography.
She is a transfer from Collin College in Plano where she received an Associate of Art before transferring to MSU in 2008.
Poole was also a member of the Eta Epsilon chapter of the Kappa Pi International Honorary Art Fraternity, and received The Fain Foundation Scholarship and The Kemp Center for the Arts Scholarship, as well as taking part in several Kappa Pi and Juried Student Exhibitions during her time at MSU.
Poole’s artwork for the exhibition focuses on her mother’s battle with Multiple Sclerosis.
“In July, I lost my mother to Multiple Sclerosis,” Poole said in her artist statement. “This exhibition of prints is a record of my journey.”
Poole’s work portrays the nervous system as the villain, and combines her love for printmaking with her mother’s love of sewing.
Her piece “Possession by Force” features hand-stitched red thread that weaves in and out of the muscles, while “Living with MS” features delicate cross-hatching to construct a reproduction of a CT scan.
Poole demonstrates the difficult feelings and emotions she faced watching her mother struggle through her work. She said the exhibition helped her cope with those feelings.
“Through my work, I am allowing the healing process to come naturally,” she said. “This is cathartic and healthy, finding beauty and inspiration in this struggle, resulting in strength to heal.”