Seniors present art thesis exhibitions

UW-River Falls seniors Taylor Berman, Hannah Carlos, Jaclyn Gese, Dan Risinger and Samantha Soutor will present their art thesis exhibitions in Gallery 101 in the Kleinpell Fine Arts building at UWRF from Sept. 29 to Oct. 7. On display will be ceramics, paintings, printmaking, drawing and graphic design.

Taylor Berman of New Richmond, Wisconsin, has a double major in broad area art education and a BFA in printmaking and painting. He will be displaying poster-size lithographs and watercolor illustrations. Berman’s work reflects his interest in indigenous cultures, world religions, philosophy and individual spirituality. Through his use of line, directionality and patterning, he strives to reflect the flow and interconnectedness of all things.

Hannah Carlos of Bloomington, Minnesota, has a major in broad area art education. She will be showing a collection of sculptural and functional ceramic pieces. Her work celebrates the repetitive intricacies found in the natural world. She explores organic forms in her work, which are inspired by landscapes she experienced while living in Liberia, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Germany and the United States.

Jaclyn Gese of Woodbury, Minnesota, is a BFA candidate in graphic design with a secondary emphasis in drawing. Gese is interested in the role of imagination during adulthood. She creates her work by combining hand-drawn images with graphic design elements. She will be displaying work titled “Revival of Adult Imagination,” which consists of poster-sized graphic design illustrations that encourage adults in our society to regain the imagination they may have lost due to career choices.

Dan Risinger of Roseville, Minnesota, majors in broad area art education, broad area English education and a BFA in painting. He will be exhibiting a series of paintings that revisit drawings he did in the fifth grade. Risinger invites people to explore the subtleties of the world around them by challenging the conventions implied by still life and landscape.

Samantha Soutor of Woodbury will graduate in December with a major in psychology and a BFA in graphic design. She is showing her most recent work that exposes her dreams through graphic illustrations for a series of graphic t-shirts related to an imagined loungewear company, Awaken.

“Dreams are a part of our lives that are often forgotten or kept a secret. Oddly, our dreams are not too different from each other,” Soutor said.

The content of Soutor’s work reflects the dreams that we have when we sleep.

A reception for the artists is set for Friday, Oct. 3, from 5-8 p.m. in Gallery 101. Both the exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are Monday- Friday from 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sunday from 2-4 p.m. For more information, contact the art department at 715-425-3266.