By William Barry
On Thursday Jan. 30, the New England School of Art and Design (NESAD) at Suffolk University, hosted the annual Stephen D. Paine Scholarship opening reception. Established in 1999 by the Boston Art Dealers Association, this scholarship is designed to support students who are entering their final year in studio art programs at colleges all around the greater Boston area, and NESAD has historically been the host of this exhibition.
The exhibit has been orchestrated by gallery director Deborah Davidson and professor Illona Anderson. The 2013 award recipients – Abbey Campbell, Lindsy Davis, Jillian Freyer, Danika Johnson, Katherine Rich, and Martha Spragge- were selected by juror Trevor Smith, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Peabody Essex Museum, to receive this scholarship and have their art featured in NESAD’s gallery space.
Lindsy Davis, a senior at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, spoke about her work which was selected for the exhibition. One of the pieces in particular, entitled Self-Sufficient caught my eye in particular.
Intricately detailed and made from a wood-block printmaking process, Self-Sufficient depicts a visually distorted human figure that appears to be eating itself. Davis described that this piece was conceived during a time in which she was overly concerned with providing for herself.
Self-reliance is undeniably an important life skill, but can become unhealthy and damaging if excessive, which Self-Sufficient describes through the almost surreal depiction of the body consuming itself.
The human body is a timeless artistic vehicle, and Davis’ art not only depicts the body, but utilizes it during the creation process.
“These pieces are all very physical – I need to move!” said Davis, as she described diving right into a piece with sweeping arm motions and vigor.
Davis’ goal as an artist is to one day own a piece of land and build her own home, and in the process create a space where she can invite people who would not normally be exposed to the wilderness come and connect themselves with nature and make art.
Massachusetts College of Art and Design senior Danika Johnson, another art student whose work was selected, uses knitting and weaving as her medium of choice. Both of her pieces in the exhibition, a small infant’s sweater and hat, and three scarves, use morse code in their designs;
“I use morse code in my work to deliver messages that I would normally feel uncomfortable saying in person,” said Johnson. As most people do not know morse code, her voice and messages are heard by only a select few.
“It feels good to express what’s on my mind – even if I may be the only one here who can recognize it, it’s still being said, and that’s what matters.”
The grand award ceremony is being held at NESAD Friday Feb. 13, located on 75 Arlington St.
All members of the Suffolk University community interested in art are highly encouraged to attend as it brings exposure to the up-and-coming artists featured in the exhibition, which runs until Feb. 20.
