Senior shows bring two creative approaches to 3D art
Senior shows bring two creative approaches to 3D art
Rachel Geyer and Edel Miller close out their Bethel careers with complementary senior shows.
Two fifth-year art majors have senior shows with a focus on 3D art. Rachel Geyer’s exhibit is multimedia with an emphasis on book arts. Edel Miller has designed dozens of practical ceramics.
Geyer’s senior show entitled “Solace in the Story” is found in the back of Luyken Fine Arts Center in a room known to theater students as the drama lab.
“It’s the combination of two of my passions I’ve explored here at Bethel – book arts and technical theater,” said Geyer. “I love to do a little of everything. I’ve enjoyed so many of the different media I’ve tried in classes, but most of all I like working with paper and making things with my hands.”
Geyer’s exhibit is an experience. Visitors walk through curtains into a dark winding room. Geyer designed halls which double as displays. Placed on bookshelves, podiums, and set into the walls are books. Upon opening a book cover, light shines through from the back, revealing the sculpted details. Each is designed in layers, but Geyer’s methods are as creative as her displays.
“The ideas changed somewhat as I continued producing work, but the base idea was the same – to create a world that made me feel safe,” said Geyer. And her show is an entire world.
“It’s a place to explore, so take your time,” encouraged Geyer. “Walk through it again. Let yourself relax…Take a seat on our well-worn theater couch and let the people become part of the exhibit if you’d like. The dark may be scary at first, but it can hold so much beauty if you take the time to look.”
Miller’s show takes a different, but equally resonant tone.
“Pottery is uniquely fulfilling to me,” said Miller. “I love knowing my work can and will be integrated into the user’s daily life, bringing a little spark of beauty and joy no matter what else the day holds.”
Miller’s exhibit, found in the Regier Art Gallery, draws from two points of inspiration: her family and a song by The Highwomen.
After hearing “Crowded Table” in passing, Miller found a new entry point for her art. “I loved the image it presented of a community of friends and loved ones sharing a meal as part of their life together,” said Miller. “This show is my attempt at interpreting that feeling.”
While Miller will be graduating soon as a potter with an art degree, she came to Bethel with plans to study graphic design. Before long, her focus shifted to social work, but she couldn’t get away from her art. Miller’s junior year, the only art class her schedule had space for was an introductory ceramics course.
“I was never interested in 3D art…but something clicked in David [Long’s] class,” said Miller. “I had been struggling all year with schoolwork and mental health, but things felt better when I was working in the studio.”
Then Miller took a leap of faith. “On the first day of my senior year, I changed my major to art and dove headfirst into a medium that was still unfamiliar to me. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, but I’ve never regretted my decision.”
Miller’s senior show, “Crowded Table,” serves as a reflection of the steadfast hands which have shaped this art: her own.
Both senior shows are open to the public. Geyer and Miller’s receptions will be held 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.