News Article

ELKTON, MD. – Cecil College will reveal its spring 2022 Art & Design Student Exhibit with a reception and pottery sale on Friday, May 6, at 5 p.m. in the Elkton Station Gallery, located at 107 Railroad Ave. This year’s exhibit will feature Capstone Projects from Grace Harreld, Ryan Magargee, and Holly Wynn. Capstone Projects are long-term investigative projects culminating in a final product or presentation.

This exhibit will feature drawings, paintings, designs, sculptures, and ceramics selected by the art faculty, representing the range of work created in the program. Some of the artwork is available for sale with proceeds benefiting art students. Visitors can purchase pieces during the opening reception and throughout the exhibit. This exhibit runs through July 25 and is part of Elkton’s First Friday Art Loop.

Grace Harreld is a Maryland artist working in a variety of media including oil paint, charcoal, pastel, and digital art. Her work focuses on climate change, the relationship between the natural world and humankind, socialization between humans, and urban development. Inspired by Futurism, Expressionism, and Fauvism, she creates exaggerated versions of what the world looks like. Examples include littered beaches, forests reduced to barren land, melting glaciers, and starving animals.

“My work reflects the negative aspects of the world and how they can be changed through community and sacrifice. I investigate the corruption, exploitation, and degeneration plaguing the environment and humankind. It is a call for societal change; an attempt to spark discussion and reconstruct how people think about the world,” said Harreld.

Harreld graduates in May with an Associate of Art and Design with a concentration in Drawing and Painting from Cecil College. She plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Design Communications.

A native of New London, PA, Ryan Magargee began drawing from a young age and studied art seriously in high school. Inspired by anime and manga, he draws characters and landscapes, creating visual narratives for the viewer. He uses various media, including pencil, pen, charcoal, watercolor, oil paint, and gouache.

“I love to create characters. Characters from TV shows, movies, video games, and comics are important to me as an artist. I enjoy sketching and the gestural feeling of a pose or expression,” said Magargee. Magargee is pursuing his Associate of Art and Design with a concentration in Drawing and Painting from Cecil College.

Born on Long Island, N.Y., and raised in Wilmington, Del., Holly Wynn works in various mediums, particularly oil and acrylic paints. She explores a variety of subjects such as portraits, colorful landscapes, and themes that are inspired by her feelings and experiences. In 2020, Wynn decided to study art at Cecil College with a concentration in Graphic Design. Since continuing her education, her work has been shown in several of the College’s exhibitions, including Art Responds, an exhibit of art containing social commentary, and several end-of-semester student shows.

 “I became interested in art at a young age, and it quickly became ingrained into who I was.  Art is a very human thing that anyone can participate in or merely appreciate regardless of skill level or life experience,” said Wynn.

There are two ways to enjoy the Art & Design Student Exhibit this year. The Elkton Station Gallery is open for visitors Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The second option is to view the artwork online at https://arts.cecil.edu/SpringExhibit.

For more information on all the exciting art events at Cecil College, visit https://www.cecil.edu/campus-life/galleries-theaters. Or check them out on Facebook at facebook.com/CecilCollegeArtandDesignProgram/.