Artwork meets Nature

Many of the students at The University of Mississippi who majors are in art posses a unique creative ability. There is a quote that states, a picture says a thousand words. These students create the art that speaks to us.
When you walk through the halls of Meek, there is an unidentifiable odor that roams the air. Easily identifiable are the sometimes unusual art works that are displayed in Meek. Like the claw foot bathtub filled with dirt and flowers made with linen and wire growing from it, the wedding dresses designed from garage bags, or the see through individual attempting to scale the front of the building with a rope. That we can all see.
What viewers generally miss out on is the chance to know the behind the scenes stories of these pieces.
The Art Department has exhibitions of students art work in the gallery that is located on the first floor of the building. There is generally a new exhibition every two weeks that includes a reception. Students are given a chance to showcase their work, and people are able to ask any questions about the process of the artists.
Currently being shown in the gallery is the thesis of four graduate students in the Bachelor of Fine Arts. BFA majors Jamie Johnson and Priscilla Harmic are two people whose hard work has been awarded this honor.
Johnson and Harmic both themed their thesis around nature by taking photos of butterflies and other insects. Johnson got the idea to work on this theme from just walking around campus. “I saw all the butterflies outside and I thought how could I represent this really amazing moment which is also something that you are always doing with photography. You are trying to capture these moments” says Johnson.
She elaborates more saying “…so I got this idea to just start taking photographs and try to think of a way to represent the fleeing, the fragile transcend nature of all these things I’m seeing.”
Coming up with the idea to do their thesis on nature was really just the beginning of the process they had to take to getting their work up and ready to be shown. I spoke with a friend of Harmic and she gave detail as to how much work really goes behind these things. She says “Priscilla has gone above and beyond starting with these images of culture that she has grown herself.” She went on “You know it wasn’t something that she went out and took photos off the internet or went to the biology department……it started with her extending her project from multiple semesters starting doing the screen prints, doing minor cuts and stamps to these Van Dyke prints.”
The same goes for Johnson, along with taking two other art studios this semester that all require the same amount of attention for detail and personality. She says she spent roughly over 45 hours a week after school in preparation for her thesis.
It is truly amazing the amount of time and sweat that these students put into something that goes up and captures our eyes for maybe only the day but places stills within our minds forever.

Sources Paper
Jamie Johnson
BFA Artist
Jejohns7@olemiss.edu
601-795-3432

Priscilla Harmric
BFA Artist
phamric@olemiss.edu

Thomas Grosskopf
BFA Artist
662-871-7173
grosskopfthomas@hotmail.com

University of Mississippi Art Department
662-915-7193
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/art/current_exhibitions.html