Beyond the art: A look into the minds behind first-year MFA show, “Convergence”

Haig Aghjayan
Mon, 29 Jan 2024 23:49:05 +0000
Arts & Life, Events, Features, Fine Arts, Instagram Page, News, art show, artist, arts, Arts & Life desk, ceramic art, ceramics, college of arts and sciences, Columbus, comic book, department of art, Diane Kollman, exhibition, exhibitions near me, free art exhibition, graduate students, Hopkins Hall Gallery, Lee Friedlander, local art, Master of Fine Arts, Meet and Greet, MFA, OBOY, ohio state, Onni Estabrook, perspective, photography [and 6 more]

Samuel Lo, a first-year Master of Fine Arts student, presents a piece titled “Disparate Aggregation” in the “Convergence” exhibition. The above photo shows the incomplete work, which has since been finalized for the exhibition and is on display at Hopkins Hall Gallery. Credit: Samuel Lo

When viewing art, people often extrapolate a deeper meaning behind the work. The minds of the artists themselves, however, typically go unconsidered.

Ohio State’s Department of Art and the Urban Arts Space are jointly hosting their annual First-Year Master of Fine Arts Show, at which first-year art students pursuing their master’s degrees display their work in an exhibition, Urban Arts Space marketing and communications specialist Diane Kollman said. This year’s show, titled “Convergence,” opened Monday at Hopkins Hall Gallery and will run until Feb. 9, with the exhibit open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the department’s website.

Samuel Lo, a first-year graduate student pursuing a master’s in photography and a featured artist in this year’s show, said he knew he wanted to be a photographer after visiting colonial-era historical sites as a middle schooler.

“I was running around with my mom’s point-and-shoot camera, and I took tons and tons of photos,” Lo said. “And then I just ran up to my mom and said, ‘Mom, I want to be a photographer.’”

Now, Lo — who currently teaches Art 2555: Introduction to Digital Photography and Contemporary Issues — said his particular style of photography is inspired by photos that remind viewers of the artist’s presence without taking away from the subject themselves.

“I really enjoy photography that subverts my expectations or that reminds me that I’m looking at a photograph,” Lo said. “I think about photos from Lee Friedlander that really point to the origin of production, like his shadow might be in the photo and he’s telling you, ‘I’m the person taking the photo. The photographer is still here.’”

An untitled ceramic piece by first-year Master of Fine Arts student Omni Estabrook is on display at the “Convergence” exhibition in Hopkins Hall Gallery. Credit: Haig Aghjayan | Arts & Life Reporter

Photography is not the only art form present at “Convergence.” Onni Estabrook, a first-year graduate student pursuing a master’s in ceramics, said they enjoy imbuing themselves into their art, which often takes the form of clay.

Specifically for this exhibit, Estabrook said they are creating a clay-made slab of road with pieces of actual gravel they picked up themselves and tire tracks made through their own footsteps.

“I really like to use my body as a [maker’s mark] in my work,” Estabrook said. “It’s important for me to have my body visible in the surface of the art.”

Estabrook said their passion for ceramics was nurtured at a young age, in part thanks to their family’s love for the arts as a whole and their exposure to the world of art as a child.

“I think I’ve always worked with my hands,” Estabrook said. “My mother always cultivated an appreciation for the arts growing up, so we were always going to museums and looking at art and taking art classes.”

Estabrook, who currently teaches Art 3002: Intro to Ceramics: Structure, said they didn’t consider ceramics a legitimate professional venture until much later in life and, even now, they still struggle with doubt surrounding art as a feasible career choice.

“I was always very interested in [art] and I don’t think I necessarily thought of it as an occupation until somebody kinda told me, ‘I think you have what it takes to do that,’” Estabrook said. “I kind of always did see it as something that was hard, maybe not profitable, and I kind of still struggle with that.”

Even so, Estabrook said they can’t imagine their life without art.

“Working with my hands and making is so important to me,” Estabrook said. “I kind of say [this] loosely, but for me, the reason to be alive and to be here is to be an artist, for me. It’s just something that I need to be doing, something that I have to do.”

Comics from first-year Master of Fine Arts student Shaheen Beardsley are displayed at the “Convergence” exhibition in Hopkins Hall Gallery. Credit: Haig Aghjayan | Arts & Life Reporter

Shaheen Beardsley, a first-year graduate student pursuing a master’s in printmaking and a featured artist in “Convergence,” said he will be displaying his comic book — titled “OBOY” — at the showcase. The comic attempts to deconstruct the “noble hero” archetype by featuring a highly flawed protagonist, according to the official “OBOY” website.

Beardsley, who also teaches Art 2100: Beginning Drawing, said he was introduced to comic books at a young age.

“Comic books have always been a thing around the house since I was a toddler,” Beardsley said. “My parents sent me to a lot of art classes when I was growing up. When I was younger I actually hated it, I was like, ‘Please stop, I can teach myself how to draw.’ I just have really supportive parents. They sent me to a lot of workshops, a lot of classes.”

Even though technology has greatly expedited the comic-making process, Beardsley said he tries to find a proper balance between hand-drawn art and digital techniques in his work.

“My process is basically the same as most people who make comics now, but there are all these cool old tricks that like they used to have to do before computers that sometimes I want to find out about or try,” Beardsley said. “I would like to remove the computer completely if I could because sometimes it’s annoying. It really disagrees with me.”

There are nine total participating artists in this year’s exhibition, and the opening reception will take place Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. in Hopkins Hall Gallery, according to the department’s website. Beardsley, Estabrook and Lo confirmed they will be present to meet attendees and discuss their work with any interested visitors.

More information about Beardsley, Estabrook and Lo can be found on their respective Instagram accounts, @Shaheen_Beardsley, @too_casual and @sam_g_lo. Lo’s photography is likewise displayed on his website, and Beardsley shares “OBOY” updates via the comic’s website.