Campbellsville University art students post senior seminars online for public viewing

by Ariel C. Emberton, staff news writer, Office of University Communications

Campbellsville, KY (05/20/2020) — All graduating Art Area, Art Major and Bachelor of Fine Arts (MFA) students from Campbellsville University's Art and Design program are required to prepare and showcase a gallery displaying their top pieces from over the years.

This exhibit is typically solo and is held in The Pence-Chowning Art Gallery for a number of days.

For three May 2020 graduates, this tradition was modified to help combat COVID-19.

"We are very proud of our seniors," Dr. Tony Cunha, dean of the School of Music and interim dean of the Art and Design Department, said.

"They have worked very hard all these years of study at CU. The result is here for you to see, a visual show. They are creative and innovative, particularly in this unprecedented time," Cunha said.

YingXin "Jimmy" Mi, a senior of Beijing, China; Farrah Phillips, a senior of Columbia, Ky., and Shelbie Stidham, a senior of Dunnville, Ky., had to display their art like normal but, instead of having a live showing, photos and video were taken of their exhibits and were uploaded online.

March 23 and 24, and in keeping with CDC regulations, Ariel Emberton, staff writer/photographer for the Office of University Communications, took individual photos of the students' artwork, and Derick Johnson, audio/visual assistant coordinator for special projects, put together a video including the students' artwork and their interviews.

This helped to complete the students' requirements for their ART 410 Senior Exhibit and Seminar course.

Mi came to Campbellsville University for the English as a Second Language and BFA with a Graphic Design emphasis programs. According to his biography attached to his online gallery, Mi had always wanted to come to the United States to learn how people lived abroad and wanted to open his mind to see the world while working on art.

While in school, Mi worked with the Little Elephant Company to create a logo design. He plans to complete post-graduate work in China. Mi's art gallery included paintings, ceramics and a variety of portraits.

Mi's gallery can be found at https://bit.ly/3cHxLjZ.

Phillips' degree focused on Graphic Design and finalized as a Bachelor of Arts. Raised in Columbia, Phillips had a close-knit family and those relationships were often reflected in her artwork.

Phillips' first university choice did not work out the way she had hoped, but it led her to Campbellsville University and caused her entire artistic style to change. She has since grown into her own style and today works with clients in order to hone her skills for a larger audience.

The gallery Phillips put together included paintings and graphic design work for a variety of topics, including product labels and CDs.

Phillips' gallery can be found at https://bit.ly/3g2feRt.

Stidham's artwork captures the visual representations of the subconscious in symbolic surrealism, according to her online biography.

Her artwork represents a perception of the world or visual personifications dealing with mental illness. Stidham dubbed herself the "Thinker." Her goal is to understand and grasp feelings and emotions through figurative work.

She not only specializes in digital graphic design and illustration software but also works in illustration and writing stories.

Her gallery included digital illustrations, digital paintings, portraits and landscape paintings.

Stidham's gallery can be found at https://bit.ly/2zMyWju.

"Please take a moment to enjoy their artwork," Cunha said.

For more information about the Art and Design program, visit https://bit.ly/2WEjmzc.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 11,900 students offering over 100 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The university has Kentucky based off-campus centers in Louisville, Harrodsburg, Somerset, Hodgenville and Liberty with instructional sites in Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Summersville. Out-of-state centers include two in California at Los Angeles and Lathrop, located in the San Francisco Bay region. The website for complete information is www.campbellsville.edu.

Campbellsville University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award certificates, associate, baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the status of Campbellsville University.

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