Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition
University of Colorado Denver: 2021 Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition
Emmanuel Art Gallery
1205 10th Street Plaza, Denver, CO 80204
April 14-29, 2021 (online exhibit available here); May 4-19, 2021
Admission: Free, open by appointment
Review by Olivia Kayang
The 2021 Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis exhibition, showing at the Emmanuel Art Gallery on the University of Colorado Denver’s Auraria campus, is the culmination of the BFA students’ hard work despite their tumultuous year. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and its ramifications—the switch to an online class format, social distancing, loss of loved ones, and mental and emotional trauma, to name a few—these students have persevered and emerged with innovative works of art. I was fortunate to view the first half of the exhibition, which was up from April 14 to April 29. The second half of the show runs from May 4 through May 19, and if it is as impressive as the first, I certainly will not miss it.
I had already formed a mental image of what I expected to see when I walked into the renovated chapel that houses the Emmanuel Art Gallery. But what I encountered was a hall filled with video game illustrations, screen-printed fabrics, and animations on TV screens that blew away my expectations. The works by the 18 artists glowed almost angelically in the gallery’s soft light.
Shana Cruz-Thompson, Hindsight, 2021, View-Master toys containing photographic reels created by the artist. Image by Olivia Kayang.
An image from a View-Master reel called Birthday Party from Shana Cruz-Thompson’s series Hindsight, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.
I began my tour in the gallery’s loft and immediately gravitated towards a piece by Shana Cruz-Thompson. Titled Hindsight, the artwork consists of eight gadgets in the shape of Mickey Mouse, Sesame Street characters, and children’s toys lined up on a shelf. The gadgets are known as View-Masters—stereoscopic devices that overlay two photographs that have slight shifts in perspective and, when viewed together, create the illusion of a three-dimensional image. Each of the View-Masters that were on display contains a reel of seven photographs which Cruz-Thompson composed to capture the idyllic joy of childhood. Looking at the pictures of birthday cakes, balloons, and swings instantly transported me back to my childhood. The three-dimensionality of the photographs imparts a novel nostalgic experience.
Tatiana Jordan, Lucy’s Pillowtalk, 2021, cyanotype on fabric. Image by Olivia Kayang.
A work titled Tulip from Tatiana Jordan’s series Lucy’s Pillowtalk, 2021, cyanotype on fabric, 20 x 25 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.
To the left of Cruz-Thompson’s work stood a collection of dress form mannequins wearing five garments created by Tatiana Jordan. Titled Lucy’s Pillowtalk, the piece is an homage to Jordan’s “bombshell blonde grandmother” who asserted her sensuality despite battling chronic pain. Jordan sewed each item of clothing by hand from white fabric and embellished them all with cyanotypes—prints produced using a photographic process that renders images in a cyan-blue tint. As I watched the blue and white dresses fluttering gently as the air stirred in the gallery, the cyanotypes seemed to glissade through the fabric like paint sliding down canvas.
A view of the University of Colorado Denver’s BFA Class of 2021 Thesis Exhibition. In the foreground: Emerald Smith, Iceland Travel Journal, 2021, acrylic on paper and canvas, map of Iceland, and leather-bound journals. Image courtesy of Emmanuel Art Gallery.
A detail image of the paintings in Emerald Smith’s installation Iceland Travel Journal, 2021, acrylic on paper and canvas. Image by Olivia Kayang.
On the main floor, I was enchanted by Emerald Smith’s Iceland Travel Journal. Smith presented two travel journals alongside a series of acrylic paintings of Icelandic pastoral lands. The paintings, with their delicate hues of purple and orange sunsets against green and yellow blades of grass, provide a visual backdrop for the adventures the artist describes in the pages of the journals. I was riveted by Smith’s experiences traveling through the fjords of Iceland, and combined with the paintings, I could almost smell the coastal air. Written in her own hand, the journals convey an intimate experience that the viewer can share with the artist. By the fifth page, I wanted to hop on a plane to Iceland.
Gabrielle David, Blanket Flowers: Colorado-Inspired Prints, 2021, screen-print on fabric. Image by Olivia Kayang.
A close up view of Black-Eyed Susan from Gabrielle David’s series Blanket Flowers: Colorado-Inspired Prints, 2021, screen-print on fabric. Image courtesy of Emmanuel Art Gallery.
Two other works arrested my attention on the main floor. The first, Gabrielle David’s Blanket Flowers: Colorado-Inspired Prints, is composed of screen-printed tapestries which mimic textiles and feature elegant floral designs. The colors and patterns reminded me of the beauty of nature specifically in Colorado. The second, Jacob Ira-Williamson’s Endangered Colorado Mammals, is a book of realistic illustrations of animals facing extinction in Colorado. I found both students’ commentary on environmental issues impactful.
I had such admiration for all the artists in this exhibition. Each student created exceptional work that showcased their artistic skills and their tenacity in the face of adversity. I cannot wait to see what the second half of CU Denver’s innovative BFA Class of 2021 has to offer.
Olivia Kayang is a multimedia artist and creative writer living in Denver, CO. She is currently working towards earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art and Mathematics from the University of Denver.
