“The Arts Management program is brimming with talented visual artists,” Long says. “We wanted a place to showcase some of their work.”

The first installation will remain on display throughout the fall, and Long plans to feature new artwork by Arts Management students each semester. Currents students interested in applying to have their own artwork featured in the Spring 2018 semester should contact Claire Long at celong@cofc.edu.

We encourage you to stop by the office to check out the incredible artwork, and to learn more about the artists below:

Tia Dye

Tell us about your piece, “U Give Me Butterflies.” What was its inspiration?

I created this piece as a continuation of a series that I started about two years ago and wanted to start back up. I approached a very rough time in my life about a year ago which hindered my creative abilities as a whole, so this piece was sort of a breakout piece. “Hey I’m back and I’m better!” It’s a restart of the other ideas and pieces I plan on creating pretty soon. I was inspired mainly by the feelings I had when I created it. I created it to express my shy persona and to pay close attention to detail (it’s the reason why the butterflies are the most detailed). I’m usually taking a peek at my surroundings, like the girl in my piece, and especially at an individual who “gives me butterflies.”

Describe yourself as an artist. How long have you been creating artwork? With which medium do you typically work?

I describe myself as a lazy creative. That’s probably one of the biggest oxymorons, but I have to be honest. I’ll start something and turn into a snail. It takes a very long time, also because I do a lot around campus and through life, but once it’s done I usually end up impressing myself and wondering how the heck I just created something like this. I’ve been drawing all my life since about elementary school but didn’t really get into (artwork) with all of its technicality until my sophomore year of high school. My senior year of high school was when I really started to blossom tremendously. I usually work with graphite pencils, colored pencils, and I have a love/hate relationship with charcoal. I hope to start working a lot with paint.

How do your Arts Management courses inform your work as an artist?

Since I am very new in the Arts Management program (it is my minor), I plan on taking ARTM courses starting in the Spring 2018 semester, which I am very excited for!

Austin Darby

Tell us about your pieces and the inspiration behind them?

All of these pieces are some combination of graphite and charcoal on paper. “Hard Reboot” is from a few years ago and one of the only pieces from that far back that I’m not too ashamed to show. It is heavily inspired by the art of Ralph McQuarrie (who is best known for doing the concept art for the original Star Wars films). This piece speaks to my views of technology as being an innocent and harmless entity that has been corrupted and abused by humans.

The other three are all from last spring. “Moon” is my attempt at a fairly realistic drawing of the moon, with a special emphasis on using black and white space to create a pleasing aesthetic. I fell in love with all things astronomy a couple of years ago and I’ve always been captivated by the moon.

“Edge City” was inspired by Christopher Nolan’s films Inception and Interstellar. This piece pretty much sums up my anxieties about all civilization breaking apart and falling into some unavoidable doom.

Lastly, “Suspension” is inspired by the work of such surrealist artists as Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, and others. It mostly represents the feelings of vulnerability and “unmasking” I get when I share my work as well as my inner “head-space” where I often seclude myself.

Describe yourself as an artist. How long have you been creating artwork? What medium do you typically work with?

I have been drawing for as long as I can remember, but only began to work seriously as an artist about 5 years ago when I began taking more formal classes in high school. Since then I’ve been pretty on-again-off-again as an artist. Generally I would say my work has a somewhat minimalist and surrealist aesthetic with an emphasis on geometry and space. This aesthetic is informed by astronomy, cinema, and the teachings of Plato. I mostly prefer to draw, usually in pencil, charcoal, or ink, but I enjoy painting as well (so long as it isn’t oil paint).

As of this fall, however, I have ventured into sculpting, which is a huge change for me but has been something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. In fact, my class just finished some pieces made from trash that will be on display in the School of Sciences and Mathematics building. This project is in conjunction with Aurora Robson’s exhibition currently at the Halsey Institute.

How do your Arts Management courses inform your work as an artist?

Generally I feel that it is my work as an artist that informs my education in Arts Management. More recently, especially as I continue to work in sculpture, I have become more aware of the managerial perspective for my own work. The size, shape, and (especially in the case of sculpture) structural integrity are some of the main things to consider. I’m constantly going back to my most recent sculpture to make sure that everything is solid and secure for fear that it might fall apart during transportation. Storage of this sculpture is also an issue for me because I have no space for it in my apartment, whereas drawings and paintings I can store easily. The main thing I hope to learn from my Arts Management classes, though, is how to price my own work!

Lilliana Cameron

“David”

“Giving Hands”