The Studio Art minor exhibition “The Space Between Us” opens March 19th in the Bryant Arts Center 4th floor gallery, featuring the works of Studio Art minor students Henry Rosenberg, Ramsey Bristol, Helen Nickerson, Addy Montero, Rainbow Ratliff and Sophie Hudson. In anticipation of the exhibition, Art History and Visual Culture Major and Studio Minor, and student director of the exhibit, Henry Rosenberg ‘21, and Education Major and Studio Art Minor Addy Montero ‘21 shared some insights.
Q: Why did you decide to minor in Studio Art?
Henry: I chose Studio Art as a minor because of my passion for printmaking, and my studies of Art History and Studio Art inform each other and work in a natural and interdisciplinary way.
Addy: I didn’t go to a high school where the arts were provided, so once I arrived at Denison, I immediately fell in love with how much opportunity and learning I had in front of me! This is why I became a Studio Art minor - because of how welcoming and creative the department is and how much it has become such a big part of my life.
Q: What has been your experience in preparing for this show?
Henry: It’s been a challenge so far with preparing for the show given the obstacle of Covid. I’ve always looked forward to seeing the Art Minor show every Spring, it’s a great appetizer for the Studio Major’s projects that are displayed and presented after us.
Addy: My experience in preparing for the show has been super fun and memorable! I’ve put a lot of hard work into each and every one of the pieces I will be having up for display, so I am very grateful and excited to be a part of the exhibition. Much of my work includes paintings and illustrations of people who mean the world to me, so having a space to show my love for them is amazing.
Q: Can you share some information about your art piece for the show?
Henry: My Senior Art History and Visual Culture thesis has become a focus of mine in my studio work. I’ve been creating baseball cards, exaggerating, and complicating their backgrounds and figures. When I was younger I collected baseball cards religiously. These objects constituted a ritual item for me. Every day before watching my favorite team play, I used to organize my cards within the batting order my team would hit as part of a superstition. I see baseball cards as sites of memory, and the act of collecting them is a way to reinforce and preserve memory as well as speak on larger themes of nation and masculinity.
Addy: My favorite piece is a seven-part collection of paintings I created for the show that includes each of my siblings and me. When put together in the order of oldest to youngest, the paintings collectively say “To the outside world, we grow old. But not to us.” This piece means a lot to me because my brothers and sisters are the greatest gifts I could ever ask for.
To hear more stories about art pieces and experiences like Henry and Addy’s, be sure to visit “The Space Between Us” March 19th-April 8th in the Bryant Arts Center 4th floor gallery.
