Capstone students featured at art exhibit
Published on April 30, 2018
ELKTON, Md. -The power of The Force will be emanating from downtown of Elkton on Friday, May 4, when Cecil College’ Art Program hosts a reception for the opening of the annual Fine Arts Student Exhibit and Pottery Sale at the Elkton Station Gallery. This year’s exhibit will feature drawings, paintings, designs, sculptures, and ceramics selected by the art faculty and represents the range of work created in the program. Proceeds from the pottery and gallery sales benefit arts students. The pieces can be purchased during the Opening Reception from 5 – 8 p.m. This exhibit runs through July 23 and is part of the First Friday Art-Loop in Elkton. Featured at this year’s exhibit will be the works of three Capstone Project students - Lisa Nastasi, Joelle Ossowski, and Dana Turner. Capstone Projects, similar to a college thesis, are long-term investigative projects that culminate in a final product or presentation. A native of Brunswick, Maine, Nastasi is a Fine Arts Major at Cecil College. Her works were featured in the Fine Arts Student Exhibit at the Elkton Station Gallery, which has included tribal masks inspired by ancient cultures as well as functional ceramics. She plans to further her studies in ceramics after graduation. “I am inspired by images of various cultures specifically their masks and painted faces. I use mixed media to create; combining sculpture clay, underglazes, oxides, raffia, beads, feathers, wire, etc. I value originality, the artistic process to create work, historical art forms, and aesthetics. I reflect on finished work, looking for improvements and new avenues to explore,” said Nastasi. Her work is both hand built and thrown, inspired by the process of working with clay on the wheel. “Each time I am at the wheel, I challenge myself to try new forms, pushing my limits,” she added. The works of Ossowski encourages viewers to think of the little things in life that may once have been trivial, but hold a special value that cannot be bought. The work allows viewers to take a deep breath, pause, and think of how little things can have great importance. “I explore various media including clay and oil paint. Through clay, I can bring objects to life by connecting them with memories. Work can take hours to create which in turn allows me to form a connection with each piece. The time spent adds personal value and meaning to work,” said Ossowski. Ossowski is a resident of Elkton, Md., and began studying art and design at Cecil College. It was during this time she began to explore different media as her art evolved from solely two-dimensional to three-dimensional over time. She looks back on how the time has been so short and uses the memories in her pieces to show what is important. She is an observer of everyday objects that were once taken for granted, giving objects a sense of importance. These objects become an extension of oneself, starting even in the early years of everyone’s lives. Born and raised in South Alabama, Turner was inspired at an early age by her father’s woodworking skills. He was a Master Carpenter and Ship Builder who often wooed his daughter with crafts that he made at work and around their home. Turner’s work utilizes a variety of media, including clay, plaster, wood, paper, metal, vinyl, and recycled materials. She explores sculpture, graphic design, card making, 3-D design, photography, and ceramics. Her subject matter is drawn primarily from God’s creation, her Christian faith, humor, fashion, nostalgia, and her own life’s experiences. While she loves to make things that are a bit whimsical, she prefers to make things that serve a functional purpose. In December 2015, she earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Graphic Design and Multimedia from Cecil College. During her time in the program, she exhibited her work in the student exhibits and won a T-Shirt Design Contest. In 2016, Turner decided to continue her studies in art, returning to Cecil College to study sculpture and ceramics. She won an Honorable Mention Award in December 2016 at the Fine Arts Student Art Exhibit for her work Armor of God. Shortly after, in 2017, she won another Honorable Mention Award for her 3-D Design project, Party Dress. Turner is pursuing an Associate of Fine Arts degree in Art and Design with a Studio Arts concentration. She is also currently serving as an Intern, at Hart Road Potters in Oxford, PA. “In a world filled with chaos and spiritual unrest, I use art as an attempt to uplift, edify, and encourage others to do good. Through my work, I use the convictions, and burdens of my own heart to emulate and express how a living God and Savior loves and communicates with and through his people. In my pieces, I often use scripture and faith-based imagery to impart a living story to the viewer, as it connects with them through sentiment. While the majority of my works are influenced by my faith and spiritual matters of the heart, they also borrow from nature, humor, memes, nostalgia and the verbal phrases of life,” said Turner. The Music Showcase will feature students, alumni and faculty from Cecil College and the Oxford Arts Alliance. The performance will be held Friday, May 4, at 7 p.m. This year’s exhibit will feature drawings, painting, designs, sculptures and ceramics selected by the art faculty and represents the range of work created in the program. Proceeds from the pottery and gallery sales benefit art students. The pieces can be purchased during the Opening Reception from 5 – 8 p.m. This exhibit runs through July 23 and is part of the First Friday Art-Loop in Elkton.